MANILA, Philippines – Japan reaffirmed on Wednesday its commitment to the rule of law and its support to the Philippine’s maritime security and safety capabilities.
In a joint press conference with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo in Taguig City, visiting Japanese Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi expressed “grave concern” about the repeated actions causing tensions in the South China and strongly called for the easing of tensions.
“I am gravely concerned about actions heightening tension in the South China Sea are repeated. Issue over the South China Sea is a legitimate concern for the international community because it directly links to the regional peace and stability,” Iwaya said.
“Japan strongly opposes any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force or build up tension in the region. We strongly ask for easing of tensions,” Iwaya added.
Minister Iwaya also mentioned that during the bilateral meeting, both officials agreed to further strengthen the partnership between Japan and the Philippines, particularly its assistance to the country, including its Official Security Assistance (OSA) in enhancing maritime security and its Official Development Assistance (ODA) for improving maritime safety capabilities.
Japan has signed two OSAs with the Philippines, one of which is the PHP611 million grant to provide equipment for the Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force.
The Philippines and Japan also recently signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) in 2024.
In an earlier statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry, it stated that the RAA “will facilitate the implementation of cooperative activities, such as joint exercises and disaster relief between Japan and the Philippines and improve interoperability between the forces of the two countries.”
Through the agreement, it is expected that it “will further promote security and defense cooperation between the two countries and firmly support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to the statement.
Iwaya also stressed the importance of working with “like-minded” countries, such as the trilateral partnership of Japan, the Philippines and the United States in bolstering bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Phillippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., U.S. President Joseph Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru held a trilateral meeting via phone call last Monday, highlighting the importance of deepening trilateral cooperation between the three nations.
Iwaya then stated that it is crucial to maintain “good communication” with the next U.S. administration to strengthen the momentum for both countries’ bilateral cooperation.
This sentiment was echoed by Manalo by saying that both countries should “leverage” on the strengthened strategic partnership with other like-minded states, such as the United States, and communication should continue with the incoming Trump administration.
“We stressed the importance of adhering to international law, especially in the 1982 UNCLOS. And we will work together, leveraging our strengthened strategic partnership with other like-minded states including our trilateral cooperation with the United States in preserving, upholding, and defending our rules-based international order and working for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Manalo said.
Secretary Manalo also highlighted the Philippines’ commitment to improving and strengthening trade and investment relations with Japan.
“I welcome Japan’s proposals to cooperate in the areas of ICT, economic resilience and derisking, and on the diversification of the telecommunication industry,” Manalo stated.
Manalo also confirmed that both officials agreed to convene the next Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue (VMSD) this year “to continue to pursue our bilateral engagements through the implementation of our bilateral mechanism.”
