The Philippines and Japan welcomed the substantial progress of their bilateral defense cooperation after acting Defense Secretary and Presidential Peace adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. met with his counterpart, Japanese Minister of Defense Hamada Yasukazu, over the weekend in Tokyo.
The two officials met to review the full implementation of the recently signed Terms of Reference concerning Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief activities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
The two countries are mulling the enhancement of the interoperability and capacities of the AFP and ISDF in disaster response.
Galvez thanked Japan for its provision of training activities as well as search and rescue equipment for the Philippine Army’s 525th Engineering Combat Battalion, which is part of the Philippine contingent currently deployed for search, rescue, and retrieval mission in quake-hit areas in Turkey.
Galvez said the Philippines will continue working with Japan to further promote a “peaceful, stable and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.”
Japan has recently published its new National Security Strategy, which aims to reinforce its defense capabilities, including counterstrike proficiencies.
During their meeting, Galvez and Yasukazu exchanged views on regional security developments and discussed various areas of cooperation through bilateral, minilateral, and multilateral platforms.
Galvez hopes the Japanese Defense Minister will visit the Philippines for more bilateral defense engagements.
The Philippines meanwhile is set to host the Second Foreign and Defense Ministerial (2+2) Meeting.