Japan military exec reaffirms enhanced military ties with PH - DND

April 14 ------ Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) vice chief of staff Lieutenant General Matsunaga Koji reiterated Tokyo's commitment to enhanced military cooperation with the Philippines, the Department of National Defense (DND) said. 

In a statement, the DND said the Japanese official and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. acknowledged the positive momentum of the two countries' strategic partnership in terms of defense and security. "LTGEN MATSUNAGA reaffirmed Japan's commitment to expeditiously work on the attainment of agreed action items during the [Defense Ministerial Meeting]," the DND said. 

The meeting between Teodoro and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was held last February 24. The Philippine and Japan defense heads agreed on pursuing frameworks of cooperation to further enhance military-to-military cooperation, enhancing the AFP's maritime and air domain awareness capabilities; as well as identifying activities/engagements for a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

Teodoro said the entry into force of the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) will further boost the two countries' defense partnership. The deal will also significantly improve the AFP and ISDF's interoperability and joint capacities in addressing common security challenges. Teodoro and Matsunaga expressed optimism that overall Philippines-Japan defense cooperation will continue to prosper in the next years. 

Last February, Teodoro said the legislative body of Japan was expected to ratify the RAA with the Philippines this year. A reciprocal access agreement between the two countries is currently awaiting ratification in Japan. In December 2024, the Philippine Senate ratified the defense agreement. The agreement provides the basis for the cooperation between the troops of the Philippines and Japan, similar to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States. 

Source: gmanetwork.com