Marcos cites Japan’s role in maintaining stability in WPS

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has acknowledged Japan’s role in maintaining peace and security in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos mentioned this during the courtesy call of Komeito Party Chief Representative Yamaguchi Natsuo in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday.

The President said the bilateral and multilateral partnerships and agreements that the Philippines and Japan have entered into have given regard to maintaining stability in the resource-rich region.

“I refer to the tripartite trilateral agreements that we have been talking about and have started to implement in terms of joint patrols, in terms of joint exercises for the two maritime forces of Japan and the Philippines,” Marcos said in a press statement issued Thursday.

“In that regard, we must acknowledge the very important contributions that Japan has made to the Philippines in terms of not only training, not only in terms of equipment, but also in the agreements that we have been able to forge between our two countries in terms of cooperation, in terms of preserving the peace and allowing the free conduct of trade and shipping [in] the South China Sea,” he added.

In June, the National Security Advisers of Japan, the United States, and the Philippines started the discussions on conducting combined maritime activities, including joint naval exercises, in Indo-Pacific waters that aims to support freedom of navigation and the broader rules-based order.

Marcos and United States President Joe Biden had looked forward to establishing trilateral modes of cooperation among the Philippines, Japan, and the United States.

The matter was among the topics tackled during the bilateral meeting of Marcos and Biden at the White House in May.

For his part, Yamaguchi said Japan wants to engage the Philippines with more cooperation in various areas including defense and maritime security.

“So we would like to contribute to your development in these areas further. And also, we should not allow unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force. And in that sense, also in the maritime security areas, the Komeito Party has been involved in program called the maritime safety and security policy program,” Yamaguchi said.

The Presidential Communications Office said that the Philippines and Japan have maintain strong defense cooperation following the signing of the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology Agreement in February 2016

The deal paved the way for acquisitions and procurements that have contributed to the Philippine defense posture, the PCO said.

Korean Peninsula

Meanwhile, Marcos also raised the need for new regional peace efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula. He said this as he cited the region's importance in Asia’s development and in the interest of all stakeholders.

“But beyond what is happening…we also have continuing great concern on the actuations, shall we say, of North Korea with Japan, (would) be in very much, what we could call the line of fire. But this is something that although we would say is not top of mind in terms of security and defense,” Marcos said.

“We consider it a critical issue that, really, we in the region must work together very, very hard to try to alleviate the tensions, to try to make all the proponents of peace in the region be the dominant voice,” he added.

To recall, South Korea had moved to normalize a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan as they strengthened ties amid the growing threats from North Korea. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News