During a summit in Tokyo with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday reaffirmed Tokyo's commitment to providing economic cooperation worth ¥1 trillion over the next five years.
The move is seen as an economic assistance race against Beijing to form a better relationship with Manila.
Abe has been trying hard to win Duterte over in dealing with territorial disputes in the South China Sea, in which the Philippines is a key diplomatic player.
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