Japan, Philippines sign defence pact

Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner (left) with Yoshihide Yoshida, Japan’s Chief of Staff in Manila, on Monday. Pic/AFP

Japan and the Philippines signed a key defence pact Monday allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills, to the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as they face an increasingly assertive China.

The Reciprocal Access Agreement, which similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training, was signed by Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in a Manila ceremony witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

It would take effect after ratification by the countries' legislatures, Philippine and Japanese officials said. Kamikawa called the signing of the agreement "a groundbreaking achievement" that should further boost defence cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.

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