Foreign Minister Kamikawa pays a courtesy call on President Marcos
Courtesy Call on President Marcos
From 10:05 a.m. local time (11:05 a.m. Japan time) for approximately 35 minutes, Minister Kamikawa, joined by Mr. KIHARA Minoru, Minister of Defense of Japan, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines. The overview is as follows. The courtesy call was also attended by Hon. Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, and Hon. Gilberto C. Teodoro, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of the Philippines.
1. At the beginning, President Marcos welcomed Minister Kamikawa and Minister Kihara’s visit to the Philippines and stated that he would be pleased to witness the signing of the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) today as the agreement is critically important. In response, Minister Kamikawa stated that Japan and the Philippines had been making progress in concrete cooperation in a wide range of areas, and that particularly the signing of the RAA is a great achievement. Minister Kamikawa also stated that Japan would like to reinforce coordination with the Philippines under the leadership of President Marcos to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law.
2. Regarding bilateral relations, Minister Kamikawa expressed her desire to enhance regional deterrence through the transfer of defense equipment and Official Security Assistance (OSA) and to strengthen cooperation in economic security. Minister Kamikawa also stated that Japan would continue to support infrastructure development in the Philippines and expressed her expectation for strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties. President Marcos expressed his desire to further deepen bilateral relations and Japan-US-Philippines trilateral cooperation, building on the past achievement of cooperation between the two countries.
3. Ministers and President Marcos exchanged views on regional affairs and response to global issues such as the WPS, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and confirmed that the two countries would work together more closely.
Minister Kamikawa signs Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement.
Signing of the Japan- Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement
At 10:45 a.m. local time (11:45 p.m. Japan time), Minister Kamikawa, in the presence of His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, signed the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of the Philippines Concerning the Facilitation of Reciprocal Access and Cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (“the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement,” or “the Japan-Philippines RAA”) with Hon. Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., Secretary of National Defense of the Republic of the Philippines. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. KIHARA Minoru, Minister of Defense of Japan, and Hon. Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines.
1. The Japan-Philippines RAA is an agreement which establishes procedures for the cooperative activities that are conducted by forces of Japan and the Philippines while the force of one country is visiting the other country and defines a legal status of the visiting force. The Philippines is the third country with which Japan signed the RAA, following Australia and the United Kingdom.
2. It is expected that the Japan-Philippines RAA will facilitate the implementation of cooperative activities, such as joint exercises and disaster relief between Japan and the Philippines and improve interoperability between the forces of the two countries.
3. As the security environment in the region becomes increasingly severe, the signing of this important security-related agreement with the Philippines, a strategic partner located at a strategic juncture on the sea lanes and sharing fundamental values and principles with Japan, will further promote security and defense cooperation between the two countries and firmly support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Minister Kamikawa offers flowers at Rizal Park.
Flower Offering at Rizal Park
Prior to the above-mentioned events, from 9:10 a.m. local time (10:10 a.m. Japan time) for approximately 10 minutes, Minister Kamikawa and Mr. KIHARA Minoru, Minister of Defense of Japan, offered flowers at Rizal Park, where a statue of Jose Rizal, a national hero who led the Philippine independence movement, is located.