Noting the Philippines’s “strategic position,” the Japanese government vowed to deepen ties and strengthen cooperation with the Philippines.
In a news briefing on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government would provide military support to the Philippines to enhance its maritime security and fight terrorism.
“The Philippines is positioned at a strategic point in sea lane as such it is confronted with challenges, such as those of maritime security and terrorism, in addition it now fall under the range of North Korea [NoKor] ballistic missile,” Abe said.
In his three meetings with President Duterte this year, the prime minister said he and the Philippines’s chief executive have agreed to deepen the cooperation between Tokyo and Manila in terms of maritime security and fight against terrorism.
“[Our] collaboration with regard to resolving NoKor issue, maritime security, terrorism and rule of law and order, we have agreed to deepen cooperation, specifically, in addition to supplying the Philippine Coast Guard with patrol and high speed vessels which already are being implemented,” Abe said.
Earlier, Abe urged the international community, including the Philippines, to pressure North Korea to stop its nuclear and missile activities.
“We have [also] decided on a ¥1-billion grant in aid to install coastal surveillance, radar facilities and signed documents were exchanged in the presence of myself and President Duterte,” he added. He said the Japanese government would provide ¥15 billion to address conflict in Mindanao.
“At the EAS [East Asia Summit], we announced that we would provide assistance amounting to approximately ¥15 billion to improve the peace and stability of peace and order in the south of the Philippines and the Sulu and Celebes seas,” he said.
With this, Abe said the Japanese government will be able to promote the free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.
“We want to make the Indo-Pacific an international public good in order to strengthen the free and open maritime order based on the rule of law, to create an international public good [and] to provide safety and prosperity to all nations,” he said.
“For this purpose, we want to enhance cooperation with the Philippines,” he added. The Japanese prime minister visited the Philippines to attend the 31st Asean Summit and Related Meetings held in Manila.
Apart from the military ties between Manila and Tokyo, Japan is also the Philippines’s second-largest trading partner. Last year bilateral trade between the Philippines and Japan amounted to $21.552 billion, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA data also showed that the Philippines posted a surplus of $1.789 billion with Japan in 2016. Philippine exports to Japan amounted to $11.67 billion, while Philippine import payments to Japan reached $9.882 billion.