The Japanese and Philippine foreign ministers reaffirmed Tuesday their nations' commitment to strengthening cooperation in the fields of security and coast guard activities, amid China's growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, Japan's Foreign Ministry has said.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo agreed during phone talks to pursue closer collaboration between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military, such as joint exercises, the ministry said.
It was the two ministers' first formal talks since Manalo assumed his post earlier this month following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s inauguration on June 30.