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In a virtual meeting, the defense chiefs of the Philippines and Japan expressed “grave concern” over the recent Chinese activities in the South and East China Sea, according to the Philippines’ defense department.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi agreed on Friday, June 4, that all parties involved in the maritime security issues in the region should uphold the principles of the freedom of navigation, the defense department added.
The two officials also shared the view that all concerned nations should exercise self-restraint in accordance with the principles of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UNCLOS stated that all features located within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of a country, rightfully belong to that country.
Just like the Philippines, Japan has maritime tensions with China. In the East China Sea, Japan has been administering Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands since 1895, but China started to claim it in the 1970s up to the present.
Meanwhile, Lorenzana and Kishi agreed to strengthen the defense cooperation between the two countries by increasing the activities between the two countries’ military, the department said.
Japan helps in the continuous modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). According to Lorenzana, the TC-90 aircraft donated by Japan is helpful in the military’s reconnaissance missions. The Japanese defense minister also noted that the transfer of radar systems from Japan to the Philippines has been progressing seamlessly.
In 2020, the defense department announced that it has signed a contract with Japan for an air surveillance radar system amounting to $103.5 million, according to a report of the Philippine News Agency. The air radar system will strengthen the military’s monitoring capacity in the West Philippine Sea.
Under the Aquino administration, the Philippines and Japan signed a defense agreement that allowed the transfer of defense equipment and technology from Japan to the Philippines.
The agreement, which was signed on February 29, 2016, also allowed the conduct of joint research and development, and even the joint production of military technologies between the two countries. – Rappler.com
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