Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is eyeing to visit the Philippines this month, reports said.
Ishiba is set to visit the country and Vietnam in late April as Tokyo seeks closer ties with Southeast Asian nations.
According to Japanese reports, Ishiba's visit to the Philippines and Vietnam aims to reinforce security cooperation with the two Southeast Asian countries to counter China's aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
It can be recalled that the Japanese Prime Minister had a trilateral phone call with President Marcos and former US president Joseph Biden in January this year, where Ishiba expressed commitment to work closely with Manila and Washington "to sustain the gains that we have made in enhancing and deepening our ties."
Japan is one of the Philippines’ four strategic partners. The two countries have 264 bilateral agreements, including the transfer of defense equipment and technology, infrastructure, and on Mindanao development.
Since 2023, the Philippines has been one of the first recipients of Japan's Official Security Assistance (OSA) and the only country that Japan selected for grant aid in two consecutive years.
OSA is a grant aid cooperation framework that provides development assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and related organizations for the purpose of deepening security cooperation.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces is also offering education and training opportunities to the AFP.
The Philippines and Japan co-chair the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Maritime Security for the 2024-2027 cycle, focusing on the role of naval forces in Blue Economy development, such as addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and protection of marine environment.
In December 2024, the Philippines, Japan, and the US held the inaugural Trilateral Maritime Dialogue in Tokyo. The Philippine delegation was led by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), with representatives from DND, AFP, National Security Council (NSC), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). They discussed strategic maritime issues and agreed to enhance ASEAN relations.
The Philippines and Japan will celebrate their 69 years of diplomatic relations in July 23 this year, and 14 years of Strengthened Strategic Partnership since 2011.