Foreign and defense ministers of the Philippines and Japan to meet in Manila on July 8

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines and Japan will hold a 2+2 meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Manila on July 8 to discuss regional defense and security issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. Manila, amid growing tensions in the South China Sea.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara will meet their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro Jr, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The four ministers are expected to discuss bilateral, defense and security issues affecting the region, and exchange views on regional and international issues,” the ministry said.

The 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting is the most important consultative mechanism between the Philippines and Japan. The first 2+2 meeting was held in 2022 in Tokyo.

The meeting comes as the Philippines and Japan negotiate a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) that would allow their respective militaries to visit each other’s soil.

The Philippines has stepped up ties with its neighbors and other countries to counter what it describes as China’s growing aggression in southern China.

In February 2023, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed in Tokyo that their militaries would cooperate on disaster relief, an agreement that paved the way for RAA negotiations with Japan.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales, with contributions by Mikhail Flores; editing by John Mair)