MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Manila and Tokyo, once ratified by the Senate, would strengthen the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization through joint military exercises with Japan. It is the first defense agreement forged by Tokyo in Asia.
The senator said Tuesday that through RAA, the Philippines “could look forward to heightened interoperability for military vessels and equipment it had acquired from Japan.”
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko signed the RAA last July 8 during a courtesy call with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who witnessed the signing.
The RAA allows Filipino soldiers to undergo joint combat training with their counterparts in Japan. The defense agreement is the first pact forged by Japan in Asia.
“In this globalized age, we cannot afford to be insular. We cannot grow by keeping to ourselves, and refusing to expand our experience and our capabilities through engagement with other like-minded countries,” Zubiri said.
Sen. Imee Marcos, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sponsored the Senate’s concurrence to Senate Resolution 1248, or the Agreement Between the Republic of the Philippines and Japan Concerning the Facilitation of Reciprocal Access and Cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Self-Defense Forces of Japan (JSDF) or the RAA.
Zubiri, together with fellow senator Francis Tolentino co-sponsored it. The senators are expected to ratify the defense agreement on Monday.
“The RAA will facilitate the conduct of more in-depth practical military cooperation and exercises, joint training, disaster relief and logistical support between the two countries,” Marcos said.
“The agreement also outlines the privileges that will be accorded to the visiting forces and their civilian component in the context of entry and departure, importation and exportation, consistent with domestic laws and regulations,” she added.
The RAA with Japan was a commitment made at the inaugural Philippines-Japan Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting or 2+2 in April 2022.
It was reiterated during the President’s official visit to Japan in February 2023. First formal negotiations on the RAA were held in Tokyo on November 29-30, 2023.
Zubiri said the Philippines could also boost its disaster preparedness efforts by learning from Japan’s experience.
“The JSDF is unmatched when it comes to disaster management and rescue operations, to the point where disaster response has become nearly as important a function for them as external defense and security,” he added.
