Japan, PH to upgrade partnership to highest tier of strategic ties
Japan and the Philippines plan to upgrade their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest level of diplomatic relations short of a formal alliance, when the two countries’ leaders meet in Tokyo next week, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The new partnership will be included in a joint statement to be issued after a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The move will help deepen cooperation in areas including security and economic issues, with an eye to China’s maritime posture in the East and South China seas.
Marcos will visit Japan as a state guest for four days from Tuesday, marking the 70th anniversary of normalized ties between the countries. The two leaders’ meeting is scheduled for May 28, according to a source familiar with the matter.
READ: Marcos, Sakaichi to raise Japanese arms imports in Tokyo state visit
The two countries seek closer ties amid regional concerns over an increasingly assertive China. Manila and Beijing remain locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, while Japan has seen repeated entries by China into waters around the Japan-controlled, China-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Japan places importance on its relations with the Philippines, which is located on key sea lanes, and sees the state visit by Marcos as an opportunity to burnish its strong ties with the Southeast Asian nation.
“The Philippines’ stance on China shifts with each administration,” one diplomatic source said, adding that the new partnership would “drive a wedge to prevent tilting too close to China.”
With the Philippines a recipient of Japan’s official security assistance for supporting like-minded partners by providing defense equipment, the two leaders are also likely to discuss exports of destroyers after Japan eased its export rules on weapons with lethal capabilities to partners in April.
Amid concerns over China’s regional clout, Japan has sought to strengthen its ties with Southeast Asian countries in recent years, with comprehensive strategic partnerships reached with Indonesia and Vietnam. /das
