Philippines, Japan to Enhance Maritime Security
Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and his Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister General Nakatani, renewed vows to strengthen cooperation maritime security at a time when China's reclamation in the South China Sea raises concern among ASEAN countries.
The two ministers particularly briefed each other on and acknowledged the current situation of South China Sea and East China Sea, says a joint statement issued to the press.
According to Japanese officials, the two agreed during their talks in Tokyo to pursue peaceful resolutions and not coercion when dealing with possible conflicts in the South and East China seas.
Nakatani also agreed that the Self-Defense Forces will cooperate on helping develop staff in the Philippine forces when it comes to disaster preparedness, they said.
Both Japan and the Philippine are dealing with an aggressive China in the East China Sea and South China Sea, respectively.
Japanese officials said China's contentious claim to nearly all of the South China Sea and its territorial dispute with Japan in the East China Sea were discussed during top-level talks in Manila.
"We agreed that we will further cooperate in terms of the defense of remote islands... the defense of territorial seas as well as protection of maritime interests,” said Japanese Minister.
