JAPAN wants to have a “deeper” involvement in military exercises that are conducted annually by the Philippines and the United States.
This is according to Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani who met with his Filipino counterpart, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, on Sunday on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, said Arsenio Andolong, spokesperson of the Department of National Defense.
The current involvement of Japanese forces’ in two US-Philippine exercises, the “Balikatan” and “Kamandag,” is limited to humanitarian assistance and disaster response activities.
In July last year, Japan and the Philippines signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) which will allow Japanese forces to come to the country to conduct military and disaster response training with Philippine forces, and vice versa. The RAA was ratified by the Senate in December but is yet to be approved by Japan National Diet for it to become binding.
Andolong, in a statement yesterday, said Nakatani “reaffirmed Japan’s desire for deeper involvement in joint exercises like Balikatan and Kamandag, upon the entry into force of the Philippines- RAA.”
“Both sides agreed on the importance of expanding cooperation in defense equipment production, which they recognized as mutually beneficial,” he added.
Andolong said Teodoro emphasized the need for “sustained bilateral and multilateral dialogues to deter actions that undermine regional peace, and called for stronger alliances rooted in shared principles.”
Teodoro held separate meetings with Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Oleksandr Kozenko and Dutch Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue.
In his meeting with Kozenko, Teodoro “expressed admiration for the Ukrainian people’s resilience and extended prayers for their continued strength,” Andolong said, while Kozenko expressed gratitude to the Philippines for supporting Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Kozenko said Ukraine will assign a defense attaché to the Philippines to develop bilateral ties.
Andolong said Kozenko is “keen on learning from the Philippines, especially in areas of maritime disaster response and post-trauma recovery.”
Andolong said Teodoro expressed the Philippines’ interest “for technological development and expressed the Philippines’ interest in Ukraine’s experience.”
“Both sides remain committed to upholding international law, with Ukraine emphasizing its adherence and strict compliance with the Geneva Conventions, and openness to defense cooperation with the Philippines,” said Andolong.
On the meeting with Brekelmans, Andolong said Teodoro highlighted the need to work with “resilient and like-minded partners.”
“He (Teodoro) pointed out the risks posed by functional illiteracy, especially in terms of misinformation and disinformation acceptance, and expressed interest in learning from the Netherlands’ best practices in defense governance,” said Andolong.
Andolong said Brekelmans aired his support to the rules-based international order as he “conveyed interest in exploring joint military activities with the Philippines.”
“Both officials extended invitations for future visits, maintaining their intent to broaden defense engagement and cooperation,” added Andolong.
