MANILA – The Philippines and Japan are set to convene the 2+2 ministerial meeting on defense and foreign affairs on July 8, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Friday.
Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara will lead the meeting with Secretaries Enrique Manalo of Foreign Affairs and Gilberto Teodoro Jr. of Defense.
This is the second time Manila and Tokyo will hold the Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting (2+2), with the inaugural one held in Japan in April 2022.
The four officials are expected to discuss bilateral defense and security issues affecting the region and exchange views on regional and international issues.
Manalo and Teodoro will also hold separate bilateral meetings with their counterparts to discuss “areas of mutual concern,” said the DFA.
The 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministers Meeting is the highest consultative mechanism between the Philippines and Japan to date and serves as a platform to further strengthen the two nations’ decade-old Strategic Partnership.
In the first 2+2 meeting, the two countries agreed to continue coordination toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.”
The latest meeting also comes as the two states negotiate a reciprocal access agreement (RAA).
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said the RAA would help facilitate and remove "lengthy procedures" if the Armed Forces of the Philippines visits Tokyo or the Japan Self-Defense Forces visits the Philippines for possible training and exercises or humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
Meanwhile, visiting members of Japan’s House of Representatives on Friday expressed their support to the Philippines’ plan to strengthen its armed forces and national defense.
Three members of the House of Representatives and Liberal Democratic Party – former Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera, former Senior Advisor to the Minister of Defense Yoshiaki Wada, and former Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Rui Matsukawa – are in the country from June 24 to 28, meeting with National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Manalo, Teodoro, and members of the Philippine Congress.
“Hearing the perspectives from those in the frontlines we reaffirmed the significance of strengthening the cooperation between the Philippines armed force and the defense forces in including equipment collaboration,” Onodera said.
“This year we have policy changes, and based on the change on the policy, we can now jointly develop defense equipment as well as manufacture defense equipment with other countries and those equipment can also be shipped to other countries,” he said.
Last April, the Philippines received its first radar system from Japan – the TPS-P14ME or a mobile-type long-range air surveillance radar.
Citing that Japan and Philippines share the same sea lane and threats, Matsukawa said it is “natural” for both countries “to have strong relationship in many fields particularly defense”.
“Defense equipment cooperation like the…Japanese radar which is function really well, and then once you accept this equipment it means for the longer time relationship, it's like marriage, you can face many attractive persons, but in marriage you have to be choosy and you must have that highest trust and I think for the Philippines, Japan is a most trustful country,” she said.
She said such cooperation also benefits Japan and other ASEAN countries to be strong in protecting the region.
Waka said Japan commends the bravery and “calm” management displayed by the Philippines regarding the incidents happening in the West Philippine Sea.
“We condemn such activities by China and the kind of support we’ll provide, will be like defense assets, defense training and also supply chain. Any possible assistance that Philippines may need, we will try our very best to make sure to provide,” he said.
Onodera said the RAA is an effective way for further collaboration in terms of defense between the two states.
“I hope the RAA will make a lot of progress, as I believe promoting the transfer of the defense equipment will benefit our countries' interests in the Indo Pacific region. Specifically, we are interested in supporting parties that contribute to the capacity building of the Philippine Armed Forces under their modernization plan,” he said.
PH transparency policy in WPS vital
Meanwhile, top security advisers of the Philippines and the United States tackled the importance of Manila’s transparency policy on the West Philippine Sea issue.
This was among the matters discussed in Thursday’s phone call between Año and his American counterpart, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the National Security Council (NSC) said in a statement Friday.
The two officials also discussed the “recent escalatory and violent actions” against Philippine troops in the Ayungin Shoal.
Año reiterated Manila’s firm resolve to protect its sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone, as well as its national interest.
He also thanked Washington DC for its “continuing support and assurance of its ironclad commitment to the PH-US alliance”. (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
