The Philippines, the United States, and Japan on Friday forged a stronger trilateral alliance as they vowed to protect the Indo-Pacific region to secure a better future for all.
According to the Joint Vision Statement from leaders of the three countries uploaded on the Ministry of Japan and the White House websites, they pledged to strengthen their cooperation in efforts to promote domain awareness, along with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
“We resolve to advance trilateral defense cooperation, including through combined naval training and exercises between our three countries and additional partners… and by coordinating US and Japanese support for Philippine defense modernization priorities,” the statement read.
"Within the next year, our coast guards also plan to conduct an at-sea trilateral exercise and other maritime activities in the Indo-Pacific to improve interoperability and advance maritime security and safety," it added
The United States will be "welcoming Philippine and Japan Coast Guard members onto a US Coast Guard vessel during a patrol in the Indo-Pacific this year,” while a maritime training activity will also be held “around Japan in 2025.”
The three countries are also set to launch a “humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise” that will be “integrated into trilateral or multilateral activities, including Balikatan 2025.”
Aside from giving their commitment to defense and maritime cooperation, the US and Japan also expressed their full adherence to helping the Philippines advance its efforts to address climate change and further boost the economy to create industries and more jobs for Filipinos.
The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the US span 77 years since its formal establishment on July 4, 1946 while the Philippines and Japan celebrated 67 years of normalized relations since July 23, 1956 and strengthened strategic partnership since 2011.
