Japan and Philippines ready to boost military cooperation

Authored by taiwannews.com.tw and submitted by newnemo
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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan will meet in Tokyo on Thursday (Feb. 9), where they are expected to sign several agreements to boost bilateral relations.

Among the agreements, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are expected to finalize a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) which has been in negotiation since April 2022, reported the Yomiuri Shimbun.

In practical terms, the agreement will allow Japan’s military forces less restricted access to bases in the Philippines to facilitate greater cooperation and joint training programs between military forces. The militaries of Japan and the Philippines, along with the participation of U.S. forces, have been conducting joint drills related to humanitarian assistance and disaster management since 2017.

Both Japan and the U.S. consider the Philippines as a strategic partner for any contingency in the event of a regional conflict involving China and Taiwan. Manila and Tokyo’s decision to sign a comprehensive RAA is seen as an important step to bolster regional alliances to deter Beijing from attacking or otherwise threatening Taiwan.

News of the bilateral RAA follows an agreement by Washington and Manila, which also boosts military cooperation. On Thursday (Feb. 2), it was announced that U.S. forces will be granted expanded access to military bases throughout the Philippines.

In addition to the agreement between the JSDF and the AFP, there are at least six other pacts that are also expected to be signed at Thursday’s meeting between the two leaders, reported the Inquirer. They include several loan agreements related to railroad infrastructure in the Philippines as well as an agreement related to “information and communications technology” and a memorandum of cooperation on agriculture.

LefterThanUR on February 5th, 2023 at 21:38 UTC »

While everyone was shitting themselves over a weather balloon, the US and Philippines agreed to allow US military bases on the islands.

Pogayed on February 5th, 2023 at 13:40 UTC »

Excellent. The US and Philippines just recently agreed upon at least 9 bases at last since fter around 3 decades. A formal alliance of hopefully finally JP, PH, US, AUS, and SK should be made.

Flat_Weird_5398 on February 5th, 2023 at 12:40 UTC »

Not a fan of Marcos but I’m glad that he’s taking a proactive role in this and undoing all of Duterte’s ass-kissing with China. All of Southeast and East Asia needs to come together and unite against their common enemy; Winnie the Pooh and the CCP.