Japan and the Philippines on Monday agreed to establish a new high-level framework to help expand defense equipment and technology exports from Tokyo, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced during a meeting with his counterpart in Manila.
Under the deal for the new framework, which was reached in talks between Nakatani and Philippine defense chief Gilberto Teodoro, regular meetings between senior officials to discuss the Philippines' defense equipment needs are expected to be held, with a visit to the Southeast Asian nation by Japanese defense officials and industry representatives anticipated to come soon.
“We firmly concurred that the security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe and that it is necessary for our two countries, as strategic partners, to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration in order to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific under such a situation,” Nakatani told a joint news conference after the talks.
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