http://www.mb.com.ph/ph-japan-hold-security-talks/

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 17): http://www.mb.com.ph/ph-japan-hold-security-talks/

Meeting Aims To Ensure Peace, Stability In Asia-Pacific

The Philippines and Japan, two countries currently embroiled in separate territorial disputes with China, are firming up their bilateral security strategy and defense policy in a bid to ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

A delegation was dispatched by the Philippine Navy (PN) to Tokyo to participate in the Third Staff-to-Staff Talks with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF). Both panels conducted in-depth talks on security strategy and activities, defense policy, build-up, and exchange programs.

The PN-JMSDF staff-to-staff meeting is conducted as a way of strengthening bilateral relations and discussing matters that will increase the degree of cooperation and promote mutual understanding and trust between the two countries.

The talk focused on the terms of the Defense Cooperation and Exchanges (DCE) between the Department of National Defense of the Philippines and the Ministry of Defense of Japan signed by DND Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin and MOD Minister Satoshi Morimoto on July 2, 2012.

The DCE covers various defense exchanges such as working level exchanges, education and research exchanges, capacity building, exchange of information, multilateral cooperation, and other forms of cooperation as may be mutually decided upon by both countries.

During the talks, the participants also tackled the lessons learned during the disaster relief and rescue operations following the onslaught of super-typhoon “Yolanda” in the Philippines in November, 2013.

The PN hosted the 2nd PN–JMSDF staff-to-staff talks in Manila in October, 2012.

Manila has an existing territorial dispute with Beijing over the West Philippine Sea while Japan is at odds with China over the sovereignty of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

http://www.mb.com.ph/ph-japan-hold-security-talks/