Japan Ministry of Defense

Overview of 2nd EWG on Maritime Security

From the left, Chief of Naval Staff, Philippine Navy (Philippine Co-Chair) and Director for Defense Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region, JMOD (Japanese Co-Chair)

Overview of 2nd EWG on Maritime Security
Date	11-12 March, 2025
Venue	Tokyo, Japan, and via videoconference
Japan and the Philippines provided regional maritime security update. Japan emphasized the importance of promoting international cooperation to strengthen "Open and Stable Seas" based on the rule of law, and expressed the intention to continue working with the participants to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) and support the implementation of the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific” (AOIP)*. The Philippines briefed on the emerging transboundary maritime challenges such as impacts of the climate change and issues of marine environmental protection, where participants deepened their understanding towards further cooperation in the future. The participants also exchanged views on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The session commenced with an introductory brief on the WPS and Japan MOD’s efforts by Director for International Cooperation on WPS from Japan MOD, followed by exchange of views on the best practices and challenges from representatives of participating countries and the Gender Advisor candidate in Japan Maritime Staff Office.

* ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific

Adopted at the ASEAN Summit in 2019 to offer an outlook to guide cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.
Based on the principles of strengthening ASEAN Centrality, transparency, inclusivity, a rules-based framework, etc.
(1) Maritime cooperation, (2) connectivity, (3) the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and (4) economic and other possible areas of cooperation are ASEAN priority areas of cooperation.
Japan express its full support for the AOIP.