Defense & Security

Japan, Philippines Boost Security Ties Amid Rising Maritime Tensions with China

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, third from left, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, second from left and others make a courtesy visit to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila on Monday.

By Naohiro Tamura and Shinsuke Uemura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

20:00 JST, July 8, 2024

MANILA — Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held talks in Manila on Monday, and the two sides affirmed their intention to strengthen security cooperation in light of China’s increasingly aggressive maritime expansion.

At the beginning of the meeting, Kamikawa said, “We’d like to strengthen our bilateral cooperation to maintain and enhance the international order based on the rule of law.” Kihara added, “Japan-Philippines relations have seen significant progress in terms of defense cooperation and exchanges under the leadership of the president and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.”

After the meeting, the two parties signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) to facilitate joint training between the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military.