Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to establish a strategic dialogue between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military, amid security challenges.
Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported that Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro also agreed to set up a high-level framework to promote further defense equipment and technology cooperation.
During a joint press conference held in Manila, the Japanese Defense Minister stressed the need of increasingly severe security environment, we firmly agreed on the need to elevate defense cooperation to a higher level.
Security ties between Japan and the Philippines, both close US allies, have deepened in recent years amid China's increasing military activities and territorial claims in regional water.
