Manila, Philippines – Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to further deepen their defense cooperation and discuss the protection of common military information in the face of the mutual alarm China increases aggressive actions In the region.
Japanese Minister of Defense Gene Nakatani and his Philippine Colleague, Gilberto Teodoro, forged agreements at a meeting in Manila where their concern about Chinese action in the disputed south of China and Eastern China Sea was tall in the agenda.
Japan and the Philippines are a contract allies of the United States, and three are among the loudest critics of Chinese assertive action in the region, including in disputed waters.
At the opening of his meeting with nakatani, Teodoro said that the Philippines are looking forward to increasing defense relations with Japan “against unilateral attempts to China and other countries to change international order and narrative.”
Nakatani said after a meeting that agreed to the Teodor “to strengthen operational cooperation”, including joint and multinational defense training, port calls and information exchange.
“We also agreed to start a debate between the defense authorities about the mechanism for the protection of military information,” said Natak.
Philippines signed agreement With the United States, its long-term contract, last year for better insurance of high-confidential military intelligence services and technologies in key weapons so that American sales of such weapons allow Philippines.
At that time, the Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin and theodoro signed a legally binding agreement on the military information information information about the US and Philippines intensified their defense and military engagement, including large-scale combat drills, largely in response to China increasingly aggressive actions in Asia.
Natakani said that he and Teodoro “is firmly containing that the security environment around us becomes more serious and that the two countries needed for two countries as strategic partners to maintain peace and stability in Indo-Pacific.”
Japan had a long-term territorial dispute with China over the islands in the eastern Chinese sea. Meanwhile, in the meantime, Chinese and Philippine coastal sets and naval ships were involved in a series of all hostile conflicts in the southern Chinese sea in the last two years.
Also high in the agenda of the native and theodoro, whose copy was seen by the associated press, was “the expansion of bilateral cooperation, especially in the context of the reciprocal approach agreement.”
Last year, Japan and Philippines signed an agreement that enables the deployment of Japanese and Philippine forces for joint military and combat drills in the territory of each other. The Philippine Senate ratified an agreement, and the expected ratification of Japan legislation would enable the agreement to enter into force.
Agreement with the Philippines, which includes live fire drills, is first KOGED Japan in Asia. Japan signed similar agreements with Australia in 2022. years and with Britain in 2023. years.
Japan has taken steps to reinforce your security and defensive fire strength, including the possibility of calculation that breaks from the post-war principle of focusing country only on self-defense. This doubles defensive consumption in the five-year period until 2027. in order to strengthen its military power.
Many of Japanese Asian neighbors, including Philippines, came under Japanese aggression to their defeat in World War II, and Toki’s efforts to strengthen their military role and spending can be a sensitive issue.
Japan and the Philippines, however, are constantly deepening defense and safety largely due to concerns about the Chinese aggression in the region.
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Joined Journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favil, have contributed to this report.
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2025-02-24 08:21:00
