The leaders of Japan and the Philippines on Friday agreed to start negotiations on a reciprocal troop access deal, strengthening military cooperation amid rising maritime tensions in the region and an increasingly assertive China, Reuters said, Report informs.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had agreed to work together closely with the United States, and, in a veiled reference to China, shared concern about “unacceptable” attempts to “unilaterally change the status quo by force” in the East and South China Seas.
"A further decision was made to start negotiations on a reciprocal access agreement and we agreed to further strengthen trilateral cooperation," Kishida, who was on an official visit to the Philippines, told a joint press conference.
Both the Philippines and Japan, two of the United States' closest Asian allies, have taken a strong line against what they see as aggressive behavior by Chinese vessels amid decades-old disputes over maritime sovereignty.
"We are cognizant of the benefits of having this arrangement both to our defense and military personnel and to maintaining peace and stability in our region," Marcos said of a pact with Japan.
Tokyo has Reciprocal Access Agreements with Britain and Australia and also hosts the biggest concentration of U.S. forces abroad.
Marcos also said Japan gave a 600 million yen ($4 million) grant to the Philippines under its Overseas Security Assistance (OSA) program to help boost his country's efforts in securing coastal radars.