The Japanese and Philippine governments are considering negotiations on a new bilateral treaty to boost security cooperation and facilitate joint drills, amid China's growing military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
During their scheduled early November summit in the Philippines, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to greenlight negotiations for a Reciprocal Access Agreement, facilitating the presence of visiting forces, according to sources.
It would be Japan's first RAA with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the third following the agreements with Australia and Britain that took effect earlier this year, respectively.