With eyes on China, Philippines and Japan agree to enhance defence partnership

Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to further deepen defence ties in the face of an “increasingly severe” security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani said on Monday.

Nakatani met his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro in Manila for a meeting in which the two ministers tackled regional security issues, including the maritime situation in the East and South China Seas.

“The security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe and that it is necessary for the two countries as strategic partners to further enhance defence cooperation and collaboration to maintain peace and stability in Indo-Pacific,” Nakatani said through a translator.

Nakatani said the Philippines and Japan have agreed to deepen cooperation on military exchanges, establish a high-level strategic dialogue among its military and deepen information sharing.

Many of Japan’s Asian neighbours, including the Philippines, came under Japanese aggression until its defeat in World War II.

But security ties between the two US allies have strengthened over the past two years as Japan and the Philippines share common concerns over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the region.