The Department of National Defense (DND) announced Tuesday, April 22, that it conducted high-level discussions with Japanese officials focused on defense equipment transfer and technology collaboration.

DND Undersecretary for Acquisition and Resource Management Salvador Melchor B. Mison Jr. led the Philippine delegation while the Japanese side was represented by Mr. Nishiwaki Osamu, Deputy Commissioner of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency. The meeting was held in Manila last April 16.

Mison emphasized the critical role of capability development in ensuring regional peace and stability as he reaffirmed that Japan remains to be “one of the Philippines’ closest partners” in the Indo-Pacific region.

Nishiwaki, for his part, noted the increasing complexity and severity of regional security challenges. He called for enhanced cooperation in defense technology and equipment as a means of contributing to the peace and stability of both nations and the broader region.

During the meeting, Mison presented updates on the country’s current defense capability development initiatives. He noted the continued efforts of the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to enhance maritime domain awareness through expanded monitoring systems and station upgrades.

“To support this, Japan offered training opportunities for AFP personnel to build technical maintenance skills—a move welcomed by the Philippine side as a step toward deeper operational collaboration,” DND spokesperson Asst. Sec. Arsenio Andolong said.

Under the directive of President Marcos, the DND expressed its commitment to deepen collaboration with Japan in pursuit of peace, stability, and mutual prosperity in the region.

A Reciprocal Access Agreement was sealed by the Philippines and Japan on July 8, 2024, allowinig Manila and Tokyo to send military forces and equipment to each other’s territory for joint exercises.

Marcos also signed on Oct. 8, 2024 the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Revitalization Act to bolster the country’s defense strategies through the strength of its own resources and capabilities.

The SRDP refers to the program that seeks to enable the country to produce weapons, small arms and ammunition, tactical communications equipment, basic land vehicles, and small sea craft using local materials.

This would decrease the dependency of the DND and AFP on foreign markets and help create a robust local defense sector.

According to the DND, both Mison and Nishiwaki acknowledged that the meeting was “a productive and significant step toward advancing shared defense goals.”