Japan and the Philippines agreed to strengthen defense ties, as Kishida promised a “golden age” of relations.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a two-day official visit to the Philippines on November 3-4, 2023. He met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other top officials to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of defense and security, maritime security, and economic cooperation.
During his visit, Kishida announced a number of new initiatives, including:
– A JPY600 million (around P235.5 million) Official Security Assistance (OSA)-funded project to acquire coastal radar systems for the Philippine Navy.
– The start of negotiations for a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a deal that set terms for when troops from either country visit another for joint exercises.
– The Philippines is the first to have benefited from the newly-announced OSA.
– Japan has existing RAA agreements with the United Kingdom and Australia. Manila, thus far, is the Southeast Asian country with whom Tokyo has started RAA talks.
– Kishida also touted trilateral ties between Japan, the Philippines, and the United States, following two high-level meetings – between himself, Marcos, and US Vice President Kamala Harris in Jakarta, and between their top diplomats in New York.
– It’s preceded, too, by trilateral exercises on the ground and at sea – Japan troops joining Philippine-US military drills and the coast guards of the three countries engaging in joint exercises at sea .
– Kishida also visited the Japan-funded Metro Manila Subway Project and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which has seen firsthand the benefits of Japan’s commitment to the Philippines.
– The Teresa Magbanua and its sister ship, the Melchora Aquino , are patterned after Japan’s Kunigami-class patrol vessel. Since its commission in May 2022, the Teresa Magbanua has been integral to the PCG’s operations.
– The Philippine government, Marcos announced in early October 2023, is already in the process of acquiring 40 additional smaller patrol vessels for the PCG. But more ships, including the bigger vessels made in Japan, certainly will not hurt.

Link to the original story: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/japan-defense-ties-philippines-fumio-kishida-visit-november-2023/