Japan is seeing the need to partner up with "like-minded" nations, such as the Philippines, in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
During the recent celebration of the 69th anniversary of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko stressed the importance of stronger cooperation with the country as he said unity is necessary "to lead the international community towards greater cooperation while deterring unwarranted division and confrontation."
Photo courtesy of Japanese Embassy in Manila
Aside from the Philippines, Japan is currently bolstering its ties with the United States and Australia—two countries with which the Philippines is also cooperating to ensure a rules-based order in the volatile region. According to the Japanese Embassy in Manila, Kazuhiko highlighted that Tokyo, for its part, already has reinforced its commitments to regional peace and stability to achieve a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Tokyo did it by pledging to further its military ties with Manila and Washington. "Emphasizing the importance of close cooperation among like-minded countries bonded by universal values and principles, he reaffirmed the shared commitments of Japan, Philippines and the US to bolstering their maritime cooperation as demonstrated by the first joint trilateral exercise between the three countries' coast guards," the embassy said. Recently, Manila, Tokyo and Washington held a week-long joint maritime drills in the waters off Bataan province to ensure that the three nations would open "a path towards a brighter and peaceful world for all our peoples." The first-ever Japan-Australia-Philippines-US Defense Ministerial Meeting is also coming, which Koshikawa, during the celebration, considered as a welcome development towards maintaining peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea. "Ambassador Koshikawa expressed his optimism and gratitude for the close and dynamic relationship between Japan and the Philippines today, and he looked back on the many milestone in defense cooperation," the embassy said. "He notes that the cooperation between the two countries has tremendously flourished, especially in the area of defense and security, since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office last year," it added.
Photo courtesy of Japanese Embassy in Manila
Aside from the Philippines, Japan is currently bolstering its ties with the United States and Australia—two countries with which the Philippines is also cooperating to ensure a rules-based order in the volatile region. According to the Japanese Embassy in Manila, Kazuhiko highlighted that Tokyo, for its part, already has reinforced its commitments to regional peace and stability to achieve a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Tokyo did it by pledging to further its military ties with Manila and Washington. "Emphasizing the importance of close cooperation among like-minded countries bonded by universal values and principles, he reaffirmed the shared commitments of Japan, Philippines and the US to bolstering their maritime cooperation as demonstrated by the first joint trilateral exercise between the three countries' coast guards," the embassy said. Recently, Manila, Tokyo and Washington held a week-long joint maritime drills in the waters off Bataan province to ensure that the three nations would open "a path towards a brighter and peaceful world for all our peoples." The first-ever Japan-Australia-Philippines-US Defense Ministerial Meeting is also coming, which Koshikawa, during the celebration, considered as a welcome development towards maintaining peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea. "Ambassador Koshikawa expressed his optimism and gratitude for the close and dynamic relationship between Japan and the Philippines today, and he looked back on the many milestone in defense cooperation," the embassy said. "He notes that the cooperation between the two countries has tremendously flourished, especially in the area of defense and security, since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office last year," it added.