DFA's Lazaro to hold talks with Japan FM in Manila next week

Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro will hold bilateral talks with her Japanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, n Manila next week to tackle pressing regional issues, including the volatile situation in the disputed South China Sea, where China has been increasingly flexing its military muscle.

During the meeting, the two top diplomats are expected to review key developments in the Philippines–Japan “Strengthened Strategic Partnership” and discuss regional and international matters, including the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN and the situation in the South China Sea, according to a statement Friday by the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

This is Motegi's first visit to Manila as Foreign Minister of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a post he assumed in October 2025. Motegi also served as Japan's Foreign Minister in 2019.

He will be on an official visit to the Philippines on January 15, the DFA said.

His visit will take place as the Philippines and Japan mark the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year.

Japan and the Philippines are establishing closer security ties in reaction to China's aggressive territorial assertions. 

A vital trading and shipping lane, the South China Sea, dotted with rocks, shoals and reefs where rich oil and mineral deposits were found, are claimed in part or in whole by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. 

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by Manila as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

Manila largely won a landmark case against China’s massive claim in the South China Sea before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, but Beijing does not recognize the ruling. 

China and Japan are also locked in a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku islands, which the Chinese call Diaoyu, in the East Sea.

Both countries signed a key defense pact, called Reciprocal.Access Agreement, which allows the deployment of Japanese forces for joint drills with Filipino troops in the Philippines. — Michaela Del Callar/RSJ, GMA Integrated News