Hanoi (VNA) – The Japanese and Philippine defence ministers agreed on May 3 to work toward the early conclusion of a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) to boost security cooperation and facilitate joint drills.
At their talks in Hawaii, Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro also vowed to work together in realising "a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law”.
RAA is intended to facilitate smoother deployment of defence personnel for training and disaster relief operations, and the relaxation of restrictions on the transport of weapons and supplies. Japan signed RAAs with Australia and the UK, and has also agreed to launch talks on such an agreement with France.
The bilateral meeting came a day after the two ministers held four-way talks with their US and Australian counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Richard Marles, in the US island of Hawaii./.
