President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has called for new regional peace initiatives to maintain peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula in the interest of all stakeholders, citing its importance in Asia’s development. 

Marcos said this during his meeting with Komeito Party Chief Representative Yamaguchi Natsuo in Malacañang on Wednesday, Aug. 16.

In his remarks, the President raised concern about the "actuation" of North Korea with Japan.

"This is something that, although we would say is not top of mind in terms of security and defense, we consider it a critical issue,” Marcos said.

“We, in the region, must work together very, very hard to try to alleviate the tensions, to try to make all the proponents of peace in the region be the dominant voice,” he added.

Marcos said he supports the concept put forward by apanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in various regional peace fora. He likewise noted that economic peace and economic strength are interrelated concepts.

The President mentioned the partnerships and agreements between the Philippines and Japan concerning maintaining stability in the West Philippine Sea.

“I refer to the tripartite trilateral agreements that we have been talking about and have started to implement in terms of joint patrols, in terms of joint exercises for the two maritime forces of Japan and the Philippines,” he said.

“In that regard, we must acknowledge the very important contributions that Japan has made to the Philippines in terms of not only training, not only in terms of equipment but also in the agreements that we have been able to forge between our two countries in terms of cooperation, in terms of preserving the peace and allowing the free conduct of trade and shipping the South China Sea,” he added.

For his part, Yamaguchi said Japan actively supports the Philippines' quest to become an upper-middle-income country and would like to see more cooperation in various areas, including defense and maritime security.

“We would like to contribute to your development in these areas further. We should not allow unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force," he said.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the Philippines and Japan maintain strong defense cooperation links. The two countries signed the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology Agreement in February 2016 which paved the way for acquisitions and procurements that have contributed to the Philippine defense posture.

In 2015, the two sides signed the Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges between the DND and Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

In June this year, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Japan Coast Guard, and US Coast Guard conducted an afloat Trilateral PCG-USCG-JCG Exercise near Bataan to enhance interoperability and share best practices in common coast guard missions.

The Non-Project Grant Aid amounting to $7.78 million for the Satellite Data Communications System (SDCS) for the PCG was signed between the Philippines and Japan this August. This is seen to enhance the PCG’s capacity to monitor the country's vast maritime jurisdiction, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.