Senators see stronger PH, Japan ties with Kishida’s visit

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the BRP Teresa Magbanua ship at the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters in Manila on Nov. 4, 2023. (Photo by ERZRA ACAYAN / Pool via Agence France-Presse)

MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Saturday expressed confidence that the Philippines and Japan will become stronger allies in facing challenges in the international front, centered on the ongoing tension over territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

“We highly appreciate Japan’s commitment to safeguarding our territorial integrity. We aspire to enhance the training and upskilling of our armed forces by forging closer collaboration with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda.

She issued the statement moments after Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio addressed the joint session of Congress. He is the first Japanese head of government to do so, as the Philippines and Japan marked the 67th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations in July this year.

In his speech, Kishida reiterated his government’s commitment to defend a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, bannered by a trilateral cooperation among the Philippines, Japan, and the United States.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said, “Our countries will commence formal negotiations on the Reciprocal Access Agreement and Japan has provided 12 ships to the Philippine Coast Guard, delivered warning and control radar to the Philippine Air Force, and provided coastal surveillance to the Philippine Navy.”

600-B yen fund

Villanueva added Japan is also granting the Philippines a 600-billion yen (P223.9-billion) public-private fund assistance, which will help finance major infrastructure projects, like the country’s first subway system.

Not all sectors, however, expressed optimism with Kishida’s visit.

Virginia Suarez, lawyer for the Malaya Lolas, said the planned military agreement between Manila and Tokyo would only “serve the interest of Japan” and would be similar to the country’s defense pact with the United States.

“This simply [will] drag the Philippines to the many wars of US [and] Japan and may result to (sic) another generation of comfort women,” Suarez told the Inquirer.

Members of “Malaya Lolas” and Flowers for Lolas on Saturday reiterated their call for the Philippine government to extend reparations to the comfort women during the Japanese occupation during World War II from 1942 to 1945.

Teresita Ang See, lead convenor of Flowers for Lolas, also reminded an earlier call to put up once again the statue of comfort women that was removed from Roxas Boulevard in 2018.