The agreement comes at a time when Manila and Tokyo share concerns about Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Japan and the Philippines have signed a defense pact that allows troops to be deployed on each other’s soil, amid shared concerns about China’s growing military power.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement on Monday during a ceremony in Manila.
Under the terms of the agreement, Japanese forces will be able to deploy to the Philippines for joint military exercises and Philippine forces will be able to conduct combat training in Japan.
The pact will need to be ratified by both countries’ legislatures to come into force.
The agreement comes at a time when Japan and the Philippines, both longtime allies of the United States, are wary of China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Beijing has claimed more than 90% of the South China Sea, including waters that lie within the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and four other Southeast Asian countries.
An international tribunal in The Hague in 2016 concluded that Beijing’s claims had “no legal basis”.
The coast guards and navies of China and the Philippines have been involved in numerous clashes in the disputed waters, including an incident last month during which Chinese coast guard personnel wielding knives and spears used motorboats to ram two navy supply ships. Filipina.
Japan has a long-standing territorial dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands, located between Taiwan and Okinawa.
Under Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Tokyo has sought to increase its military firepower, notably through reciprocal access agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr strongly denounced China’s actions in the South China Sea and warned that his country would consider the death of any Filipino at its hands as close to “an act of war.”
Manila has long-standing defense pacts with Australia and the US and is exploring a similar deal with France.
In April, the leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines held their first trilateral summit in Washington, DC, as part of efforts to boost military cooperation between the parties.
The summit followed joint military exercises in the South China Sea, which also included Australia.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
