A RANKING Japanese defense official has reiterated his country's commitment to helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in its ongoing capability upgrade program.
Japan Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Tsuyohito Iwamoto made this remark in a courtesy call on Department of National Defense (DND) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. on Monday.
The two officials discussed overall Philippines-Japan defense relations and regional security concerns.
During their meeting, Faustino recalled the successful conduct of the Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting (2+2) between the Philippines and Japan last April.
"In relation to this, both officials reaffirmed the outcomes of the 2+2 meeting, such as the further development of humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) cooperation and collaboration on transfer of defense equipment. Japan also expressed willingness to contribute and assist the AFP in its capability-upgrade program," DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.
The two officials also reaffirmed that respect for international law and rules-based order are essential in maintaining peace and stability in the region, particularly in the South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS).
Meanwhile, Iwamoto noted that the meeting is a manifestation of the two countries’ growing bilateral strategic partnership. Iwamoto visited the Philippines last July 17 to 18 and his itinerary includes courtesy calls on key Philippine defense and military officials.
"As to multilateral cooperation, both sides look forward to dialogue among the Philippines, Japan, and other partners, as well as a continuous collaboration under the auspices of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus," Andolong said.
Iwamoto also congratulated Faustino and mentioned that he looks forward to his appointment as DND chief this November. (Priam Nepomuceno)
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