During a summit in Tokyo with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday reaffirmed Tokyo's commitment to providing economic cooperation worth ¥1 trillion over the next five years.

The move is seen as an economic assistance race against Beijing to form a better relationship with Manila.

Abe has been trying hard to win Duterte over in dealing with territorial disputes in the South China Sea, in which the Philippines is a key diplomatic player.