Philippines and Japan sign defence pact amid South China Sea tensions
Yoko Kamikawa, the foreign minister of Japan, called the agreement a "landmark achievement" since it facilitates the admission of soldiers and equipment for war training and disaster relief.
Signing a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) on Monday, the Philippines and Japan strengthened their defense relations and expressed their desire for regional peace in the face of escalating tensions with China.
Yoko Kamikawa, the foreign minister of Japan, called the agreement a “landmark achievement” since it facilitates the admission of soldiers and equipment for war training and disaster relief. This is the first agreement of its sort that Japan has signed in Asia, and it comes at the same time when Chinese warships are acting more assertively in the South China Sea.
“This marks yet another significant achievement in our cooperative efforts to guarantee an international order founded on rules,” Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro said reporters following the signing.
Two of America’s closest Asian allies, the Philippines and Japan, have both taken a firm stance against what they see to be an increasingly assertive China in the South China Sea, an area where Beijing’s broad claims collide with those of numerous Southeast Asian countries.
Beijing disputes the 2016 decision of an international tribunal that said China’s claims lacked legal support.
While China and Japan do not have any claims to the South China Sea, they do have a distinct maritime dispute in the East China Sea in which they have engaged in many naval skirmishes. Last year, Japan declared the largest military build-up since World War Two, moving away from its post-war pacifism.
It has backed the Philippines’ stance in the South China Sea and voiced disapproval of China’s activities, particularly those that have caused damage to Philippine ships and maimed a Filipino sailor.
Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara continued, “The Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations are situated in… a key junction of Japan’s sea lanes; advancing defense cooperation and exchanges with the Philippines is important for Japan.”
According to Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, the Asia-Pacific area does not require military blocs, nor does it require inciting conflict between opposing groups or niches that may spark a new Cold War.
In response to a question during a routine briefing, Lin informed reporters, “Japan was responsible for the invasion and colonial rule of Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines,” during World War II. “Japan ought to give careful thought to its past acts of aggression and exercise caution in both its words and deeds concerning military security.”
The United States, Australia, and the Philippines have a visiting forces agreement. Tokyo has comparable RAA agreements with Australia and Britain and is negotiating another with France. Tokyo is home to the largest concentration of U.S. personnel stationed abroad.
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