TOKYO, Japan – The Philippines and Japan signed seven new bilateral agreements on a range of areas including infrastructure, security, and agriculture during Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first official visit to the Asian country.

Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida witnessed the exchange of notes during a bilateral meeting held on Thursday, February 9.

Agreements signed include terms of reference that will facilitate humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as extensions on loan agreements for Japanese-funded railway projects in the Philippines.

Manila and Tokyo likewise agreed to create a joint committee on agriculture, while a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on information and communications technology aimed to bring Japan’s expertise to Philippine efforts to transition to a digital economy.

“After our meeting, I can confidently say that our strategic partnership is stronger than ever as we navigate together, the rough waters buffeting our region,” Marcos said.

Kishida added that Marcos’ trip “renewed momentum for our two nations to further upgrade bilateral partnership….and for us to make further contribution to the peace and stability of the region and the world.”

Here are details on the key agreements signed:

Infrastructure

• Exchange of notes on the North-South commuter railway (NSCR) extension project II
• Loan agreement for NSCR extension project II
• Exchange of notes on the NSCR Malolos-Tutuban project II
• Loan agreement for NSCR Malolos-Tutuban project II

The four agreements allow the Philippines to access funds through Japan’s Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) loan, which will be used to develop a 150-kilometer railway connecting cities located north and south of Metro Manila.

The STEP loan is considered an “extremely concessional loan,” carrying a 0.1% interest rate and a repayment period of 40 years

Construction of the railway seeks to address traffic congestion in the mega city and is a major project between the Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Security and defense

• Terms of Reference on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Japan Self-Defense Forces

The terms of reference will facilitate exercises and drills between Filipino and Japanese troops in relation to humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Regional analysts and observers see the effort as moving one step closer to a reciprocal military access agreement, which would open the door to a wider array of military drills between Filipino and Japanese troops.

Economy

• MOC on Agriculture
• MOC on ICT

Through an MOC on agriculture, Marcos and Kishida agreed to establish a joint committee on agriculture to tackle opportunities for technology exchanges and the broadening of Philippine access to Japanese markets for agricultural projects.

Meanwhile, an MOC on ICT was signed to facilitate cooperation on the Philippines’ transition to a digital economy, including the development of more broadband networks and presence of more diverse 5G suppliers.

The agreements also seeks to bring in Japanese expertise in beyond 5G technologies and artificial intelligence. – Rappler.com