Three years since it was last held, the Philippines officially resumed its bilateral military dialogue with Japan recently, signaling the conduct of more activities between the two Asian countries to enhance their defense and security, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Monday, Oct. 24.
The 9th Military-to-Military Dialogue between the DND and Japan's Ministry of Defense (MOD) was conducted in Manila last Oct. 21, according to DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong.
The last dialogue was held in June 2019, several months before the Covid-19 pandemic closed international borders nationwide.
This year, the dialogue was co-chaired by DND Asst. Secretary for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs Henry A. Robinson Jr. and Japanese MOD Director General for International Affairs Miura Jun.
According to Andolong, the two defense officials "exchanged views on regional security challenges, discussed updates on defense policies, and reviewed the overall progress of Philippines-Japan defense cooperation."
"On regional security challenges, ASec. Robinson shared the DND's perspective on the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea (SCS/WPS) while DG MIURA shared security updates on the East China Sea (ECS) and Korean Peninsula. Both officials also touched on the security situation in the Euro Atlantic," Andolong said.
Both the Philippines and Japan have strained relations with China due to overlapping claims in their respective maritime territories.
While the Philippines has a maritime row with China in the West Philippine Sea, Japan is at odds with Beijing over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Japan is also dealing with North Korea's nuclear threats due to escalating conflict in the Korean peninsula that started when Pyongyang launched a missile that flew over Tokyo earlier this month.
Further, Andolong bared that Robinson and Miura also exchanged thoughts on the security situation in the Euro Atlantic amid the ongoing military invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the two defense officials also discussed ways to further enhance the military cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Japan Self-Defense Ground Forces (JSDGF).
Last Oct. 14, the Philippine Marine Corps concluded the KAMANDAG Exercise, its bilateral training with the United States Marine Corps, where 30 JSDGF personnel participated as observers.
"The meeting ended with a commitment of both countries to further enhance bilateral defense relations," Andolong said.