The Philippine and Japanese governments reassured each other of their robust security alliance when the two countries’ defense secretaries met in Manila yesterday to discuss future collaborations in the face of an aggressive China.
An “increasingly severe” security environment has made deepening security ties with the Philippines a necessity, Japan’s defense chief said Monday after meeting with his counterpart.
Speaking as he concluded a two-day visit that included a tour of Philippine air bases, Japanese defense secretary Gen Nakatani said the two countries hoped to achieve greater operational collaboration in the future.
“Secretary [Gilberto] Teodoro [Jr.] and I firmly concurred that the security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe and it is … necessary to further enhance defense cooperation,” he said after the bilateral meeting at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
“There is an increasing need for Japan and the Philippines to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration in order to contribute to the peace and stability in the region and international community,” he added.
Nakatani’s visit comes on the heels of a January foreign ministers’ meeting where the Philippines and Japan vowed to strengthen security cooperation to counter China’s actions in key sea trade routes, including the disputed West Philippine Sea [South China Sea].
For his part, Teodoro told reporters that the two countries shared the “common cause of resisting any unilateral attempt to reshape… international law by force.”
He said the legislative body of Japan is expected to ratify the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with the Philippines this year.
The Philippine Senate ratified the defense agreement in December 2024.
“A significant milestone was the signing of the RAA between Japan and the Philippines last year. And we look forward to its ratification by the Japanese Diet this year so that we can, shall we say, get to the ground running at full speed in implementing the RAA,” Teodoro said after meeting with Nakatani.
The Philippines’ defense chief noted that while the Philippines’ multilateral agreements with Japan remain “robust and strong,” he looks forward to further enhancing both nations’ existing partnerships rooted on “shared values of a rules-based international order.”
Meanwhile, both officials agreed that the surveillance radar provided by Japan is providing an important contribution to Philippine air defense capabilities.
Nakatani inspected the sites where the Japanese radar systems were installed after visiting key Philippine military sites on Sunday.
They are located at the Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, and Wallace Air Station in San Fernando, La Union, where Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) FPS-3ME fixed radar systems are already fully operational.
The bilateral meeting comes as China continues to deploy navy and coast guard vessels in a bid to bar the Philippines from strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea, leading to a string of confrontations in recent months.
Last week, a Chinese Navy helicopter came within three meters of a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources surveillance plane carrying journalists over Bajo de Masinloc, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal. With AFP