Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a bilateral defense agreement to facilitate joint exercises for closer security cooperation.Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) in Manila, witnessed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., after the president met with Kamikawa and Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, according to Japan's (Kyodo) news agency.Japan's first RAA with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will ease restrictions on personnel transfers between the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF and the Philippine military for joint drills and disaster relief operations in each other's country.At the outset of the meeting, Marcos said the new defense deal is "very important," while Kamikawa described it as a "big achievement," adding Japan would enhance cooperation with Marcos's administration to strengthen a free and open international order.Once the RAA takes effect, Japan will be able to participate as a full member in the large-scale Balikatan military exercise conducted annually by the Philippines and the United States near the Southeast Asian nation, which the SDF have previously joined in an observer capacity.Tokyo and Manila have been ramping up defense ties in recent years in response to Beijing's growing activities in the East and South China seas, Kyodo said.