PH, Japan agree to expedite talks on visiting forces pact

TOKYO, Japan — Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday agreed to speed up talks of a prospective visiting forces deal that would allow the armed forces of each country to enter each other’s territories. 

An agreement to pursue a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Tokyo and Manila was announced in November during Kishida’s visit to Manila in November. 

“The two leaders concurred to continue coordination to reach an early conclusion of the negotiations of the Reciprocal Access Agreement and to enhance cooperation between the coast guards of the two countries,” said the Secretariat for the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in a statement. 

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The Philippine Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard also exchanged a memorandum of cooperation.