(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I visited the Philippines, a friend across the seas and an important strategic partner for Japan. First, during my courtesy call on President Marcos, I explained the achievements made in strengthening defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines and conveyed that our defense authorities will continue to work closely, looking ahead to the Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting at the end of this month. Following the courtesy call, I held a defense ministerial meeting and joint press announcement with Secretary Teodoro. It was highly meaningful that my counterpart, Secretary Teodoro, and I were able to share our recognition regarding future concrete cooperation amid a severe security environment and confirm the further strengthening of cooperation. First, Secretary Teodoro and I reaffirmed our 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, and confirmed that we will continue to share our situational awareness amid the increasingly tense regional security environment. Furthermore, we concurred that both sides would hold consultations, when necessary, to ensure the security of both countries and the peace and stability of the region. Japan has been transferring air surveillance radar systems to the Philippines, with a view to enhancing their maritime domain awareness capabilities. I explained the recent amendments of Japan’s Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and their Implementation Guidelines, for which Secretary Teodoro expressed his support and expectations as a step that will further strengthen Japan’s contributions to regional and global peace and stability. We then confirmed to further promote and advance defense equipment and technology cooperation that contributes to strengthening regional deterrence and response capabilities. On that basis, under the revised defense equipment transfer framework, Secretary Teodoro and I signed today a Statement on the Further Promotion of Defense Equipment and Technology Cooperation. As part of the efforts referred to in the statement, we established a working group comprising the policy, operational, and equipment divisions of the defense authorities of both countries. With the aim of transferring Abukuma-class destroyers and TC‑90 aircraft as quickly as possible, we concurred on conducting discussions on the transfer of these and other defense equipment for realizing comprehensive equipment cooperation, encompassing education and training, maintenance, operational coordination, information sharing, and arrangements for the appropriate management of equipment. Furthermore, Secretary Teodoro and I welcomed the development of the legal foundation that enables the further strengthening of defense cooperation, including the entry into force of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) last September and the signing of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in January. Tomorrow, Secretary Teodoro and I will observe Exercise Balikatan 2026, a large-scale multilateral combined training hosted by the U.S. and the Philippines, in which the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) will participate for the first time following the entry into force of the RAA. The entry into force of the RAA has made it possible for Japan to bring a weapon into the Philippines for the first time. Therefore, practical exercises will be conducted, including the first-ever live-fire exercise of the SDF’s surface-to-ship missile in the Philippines. I look forward to confirming with Secretary Teodoro this new first step toward strengthening cooperation between Japan and the Philippines. The Philippines is a strategically important country situated in a key point on Japan’s sea lanes and, as a fellow maritime nation, is an essential partner for strengthening defense cooperation. Building on this visit, I intend to further develop Japan’s defense cooperation relationship with the Philippines. That concludes my opening remarks.