Here's what's next after the ratification of PH-Japan's RAA
After the ratification of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) by both the Philippines and Japan, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the next phase would involve the crafting of its implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
“We welcome the signing of the RAA by the Japan Diet at this point but more details will be tackled when the IRR comes into play,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said on Tuesday, June 10.
The IRR outlines how the provisions of the RAA will be implemented in practice, offering direction on matters such as access, jurisdiction, and other related concerns.
It also guarantees the proper and lawful implementation of the RAA, enabling the deployment and operations of Japanese forces in the Philippines in accordance with Philippine laws and regulations.
Padilla said the IRR of the RAA is expected to be completed “soon”. The AFP spokesperson did not give an exact timeline as to when the rules will be completed.
“We're expecting this to happen soon but there's no really direct timeline that's being given,” she said.
The RAA is expected to enable the AFP and its Japanese counterpart, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), to engage in bigger military exercises as it allows both countries to send forces and equipment to each other’s territory for joint drills.
“We've seen that for the past years, there's been an active participation by the Japanese here in the Philippines in the different exercises. In the recent Balikatan Exercises, they were actively participating as observers in different activities that we conducted,” Padilla said.
“We also have maritime patrols with Japan actively participating. So we're looking at something to develop more like a VFA [Visiting Forces Agreement] of sorts,” she added.
Japan’s national legislature, the National Diet, ratified the RAA last June 6, six months after the Philippine Senate approved it on Dec. 16, 2024. It was signed by both countries on July 8, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy (PN) said the troop access pact will improve the country’s defense posture in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“We look forward to this because it will allow the AFP the opportunity to be able to interact with a first-world country in terms of military-to-military activities. It will afford our men and women the opportunity to be able to have hands-on training with modern weaponry. It would also be an eye-opener to us on what there is as a way ahead for the Armed Forces modernization program,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, PN spokesperson for WPS, shared.