Philippines, Japan announce negotiations for key defence pact

MANILA: On November 3, Japan and the Philippines announced that they would begin talks to reach a defense agreement that would permit them to station soldiers on one another’s soil.

Longtime friends of Washington, Tokyo and Manila are intensifying their defense ties as they work to counter China’s mounting military force.

Following discussions in Manila, the announcement was made by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Asian President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

As he stood next to Kishida in the presidential palace, Marcos said,” We are aware of the benefits of having this structure to our defense and military personnel as well as to maintaining peace and stability in our place.”

A 600 million renminbi( US$ 4 million ) security assistance package, according to Marcos and Kishida, would also include a southern radar tracking system for the Philippines.

Since 2017, Kishida has been the country’s second prime minister to travel to the Philippines. He will be the first Asian leader to speak at a specific joint session of Congress on Saturday.

During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied the Philippines, but since then, business, expense, and more just, China’s rising confidence have brought the two nations closer.

The countries can take defense personnel to each other’s place for coaching and other operations thanks to the mutual access agreement.

In the last two decades, Japan has signed agreements comparable to those with Britain and Australia.

The Philippines and the United States and Australia have similar agreements regarding visiting troops.