Japan, PH, US to boost Indo-Pacific cooperation

Japan and the Philippines have agreed to strengthen their trilateral cooperation with the United States to foster a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya stated that the partnership between Japan and the Philippines has evolved into "near-alliance status."

The foreign ministers of both nations, Takeshi Iwaya and Enrique Manalo, committed to holding maritime consultations and a vice-ministerial strategic dialogue by the end of the year.

Discussions have commenced on an information protection agreement and negotiations for an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, following a prior summit between the leaders of Japan and the Philippines.

Both ministers also affirmed their commitment to assisting Japanese-Filipinos who became stateless after World War II in obtaining Japanese nationality.

In a separate meeting, Minister Iwaya and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn agreed to collaborate on maintaining and reinforcing the multilateral free trade system, acknowledging the growing protectionist tendencies globally.