Philippine Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro stated on Monday (November 6) that the Philippines hopes to reach a Mutual Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan "in the shortest possible time" that allows the other party's troops to be deployed on its own territory, which will further strengthen the increasingly close military and security cooperation between the Philippines and Japan.
The Philippines and Japan are both important allies of the United States in Asia, and both countries have territorial sovereignty disputes with an increasingly powerful China in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, respectively. Philippine and Japanese ships often engage in confrontations and frictions with Chinese ships in the South China Sea and East China Sea, respectively.
Due to the commitment of the Japanese and Philippine governments to maintaining a rule-based international order and international law, we look forward to signing this mutual access agreement between the two countries, "Reuters quoted Teodoro as saying at a press conference on Monday.
Teodoro also pointed out that once the Philippines and Japan complete negotiations on the details of the Mutual Access Agreement, the agreement still needs to be approved by the Philippine Senate and the Japanese Parliament respectively.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the Philippines and Malaysia from November 3rd to 5th. This is also Kishida's first visit to these two Southeast Asian countries since taking office as Prime Minister.
On November 3rd, Kishida held talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila. The two heads of state, in order to deter China from continuously strengthening military activities in the East and South China Seas, agreed to initiate negotiations on the Mutual Access Agreement between the Japanese Self Defense Forces and the Philippine Armed Forces.
Once the two sides reach an agreement, the Philippines will be the third country to sign the Mutual Access Agreement with Japan after Australia and the United Kingdom, and also the first in Asia.
Both Little Marcos and Kishida emphasized that the Philippines and Japan need to strengthen trilateral cooperation with the United States. In addition to confrontations with Philippine and Japanese ships in the South China Sea and East China Sea, the Chinese Navy and Air Force often intercept and harass American and other countries' aircraft and ships that assert their "freedom of navigation" rights through dangerous and unprofessional actions.
The Chinese Coast Guard ship recently collided with a Philippine ship while intercepting and preventing a Philippine Coast Guard ship from carrying out a supply operation on the second Thomas Shoal (referred to as "Ren'ai Reef" in China). This move has been condemned by the United States and its allies. US President Joe Biden reiterated his support for the Philippines as "rock solid" and emphasized the US commitment to the US Philippines Joint Defense Treaty.
In his first speech to the Philippine Congress on November 4, Kishida pointed out that "the international order is facing a major crisis" in view of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China's maritime activities.
After Kishida's visit to the Philippines, the Philippine Ministry of Transportation announced on Sunday that the Philippine Coast Guard will receive five additional 97 meter long large patrol vessels (MRRVs) through funding provided by Japan. The Philippine Ministry of Transportation emphasized that "the maritime security capabilities of the Philippines will be further enhanced.
The Philippine Ministry of Transportation stated that, with the 12 ships already delivered, the total number of Japanese vessels assisting the Philippine Coast Guard reached 17. Philippine Transport Minister Jaime Bautista said that this will be part of the modernization efforts of the Coast Guard.
The Philippine Coast Guard mainly uses these vessels for maritime law enforcement, supply, and also for search and rescue missions, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response (HADR) work.
On the eve of Kishida's visit to the Philippines, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced last Thursday that the first of the four Japanese produced air defense radars that had signed an export agreement with the Philippines had been delivered in October of this year. This is the first time that the Japanese government has exported finished defense equipment to the outside world since revising its arms embargo policy and formulating the "Three Principles for the Transfer of Defense Equipment" in 2014.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that the remaining three air defense radars will be delivered by the end of 2025 as agreed.
During his tenure, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attempted to maintain a balance between the United States and China in order to seek economic aid and investment from Beijing. However, since taking office, President Marcos has steadily strengthened security and military relations with the United States, and has opened nine Philippine military bases to the US military.
The US government has announced that it will allocate $100 million to improve the infrastructure of these Philippine military bases.
The United States is helping the Philippine government strengthen its defense posture, including defending its legitimate rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea, "Teodoro said at a press conference. The West Philippine Sea is a term used by the Philippines to refer to the disputed waters in the South China Sea.
But he emphasized that the Philippines "does not seek conflict".