(Press Release: Provisional Translation)
December 18, 2025
Ministry of Defense Japan
On December 18, commencing at 14:50 (Japan Time) for approximately 35 minutes, Minister Koizumi held a Defense Ministerial Video Teleconference with Philippine Secretary of Defense, Gilberto Teodoro.
- At the outset, Minister Koizumi welcomed the opportunity to reconnect via video teleconference with Secretary Teodoro following the recent four-countries defense minister’s meeting in Malaysia with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and United States (U.S.) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Both ministers reaffirmed the need to further strengthen and develop bilateral cooperation under the increasingly severe security environment surrounding both countries.
- The two Ministers also exchanged views on regional security issues. Defense Minister Koizumi briefed the radar incident on December 6 in which a Chinese military aircraft illuminated a Japan Self-Defense Force aircraft with radar and the Chinese-Russian bombers’ joint flight from the Eastern Sea to the Pacific that occurred on December 9 and shared his grave concerns over these. They reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
- Furthermore, the two Ministers concurred on strengthening operational collaboration, including the Japan-Philippines RAA which came into effect in September of this year, and reaffirmed their commitment to further promote defense equipment and technology cooperation.
The Japan-Philippines Defense Ministers Video Teleconference (PDF)