Defense, foreign ministers of Philippines, Japan to meet on April 9

The Philippines' and Japan's defense and foreign ministers will hold an inaugural meeting in Tokyo on April 9, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will meet with their Japanese counterparts to discuss how both countries can work together amid the growing complexity of the regional and international security environment.

The upcoming summit will lay the groundwork for the security relationship between the two countries over the next decade. 

“The 2+2 is the next logical progression in the deepening policy and security cooperation between the two countries, and is envisioned to be a key component in further strengthening the decade-old PH-Japan Strategic Partnership,” the DFA said.

“The close ties between the two countries for six decades now continue to expand to various areas of cooperation, and have resulted in the improvement of the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement capabilities, increased maritime domain awareness, and enhanced counterterrorism and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities, among other areas," it added. 

According to the DFA, Japan is the second country with which the Philippines has a similar 2+2 mechanism, following the United States.

It said that President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio agreed on such a mechanism during their telesummit in November last year. —VBL, GMA News