Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro on Sunday agreed to further strengthen cooperation between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military amid China’s intensified military activities in the East and South China seas.
Japan and the Philippines will use the bilateral framework of strategic dialogue between unit operation officers, which the two defense ministers agreed to establish at their meeting in February.
At the beginning of Sunday’s meeting with Nakatani in Singapore, Teodoro said Japan and the Philippines must enhance deterrence and oppose actions they do not want, with China in mind.
The two ministers confirmed the expansion of joint exercises following the signing of a reciprocal access agreement to facilitate visits to each other’s country by the SDF and the Philippine military.
