Array
The Philippines and Japan are set to sign on Monday a key defense pact that will allow the deployment of troops on each other’s territory.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa will hold high-level talks with their Philippine counterparts Gilberto Teodoro and Enrique Manalo in Manila.
The Philippines and Japan — longtime allies of the United States — have been deepening defense ties in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will witness the signing of the reciprocal access agreement (RAA), which the countries began negotiating in November, the Philippine Presidential Communications Office said.
