Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. on Sunday toured his Japanese counterpart to key military bases in Luzon with a view to enhancing bilateral defense relations.
The two Defense chiefs were accompanied on the trip by other ranking officials of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen was given a guided tour of the military facilities at Basa Airbase and several other key installations including the Fuel Storage Facility, the Air Missile Defense System Training Center, and the 4-Bay Hangar and Sterling Hangar which are essential for aircraft maintenance and operations.
The group also visited the FA-50PH Flight Simulator, a state-of-the-art training system for pilot proficiency, and the C2 Fusion Center, a command and control hub for integrated military operations.
Following the visit at Basa Air Base visit, the delegation proceeded to Wallace Air Station at Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union.
They also visited the Air Defense Simulation and Wargaming Center, which plays a key role in military training and strategic planning, and the Mobile and Fixed Radar installations which are vital for monitoring and securing Philippine airspace.
They were given an overview of the C2 Building, showcasing advanced command and control capabilities.
With the recent Philippine Senate concurrence on the Reciprocral Access Agreement between the two countries, both officials discussed and explored ways in advancing strategic defense partnership, particularly on maritime and air defense, capacity building activities, and regional security initiatives.