Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (蜜桃工作室 / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
Amid the growing aggression of China in the South China Sea, the Department of National Defense is hopeful that a defense pact with Japan, similar to the country鈥檚 visiting forces agreement (VFA) with the United States and Australia, will be signed before the end of the year.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the 鈥渞eciprocal access agreement鈥� (RAA) is still being reviewed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
鈥淏ut we want to fast-track it because the Senate is also waiting for it,鈥� he told reporters in Taguig City.
Once signed by the two countries, the RAA between Japan and the Philippines will have to be ratified by the Senate since it is a treaty, Teodoro explained.
搁贰础顿:听PH-Japan defense talks focus on self-reliance
Teodoro said the signing of the agreement was being delayed by 鈥渟ome issues they need clarity on, but I think it鈥檚 going to be resolved already.鈥�
鈥淚 am no longer seeing a problem,鈥� he said of the signing of the RAA, which could happen 鈥渉opefully within this year.鈥�
An RAA is a bilateral defense and security pact between Japan and other governments that provides shared military training and military operations. It establishes procedures between two countries for the cooperative activities conducted by the defense force of one country while visiting the other country and defines the status of the visiting force.
Japan currently has RAAs with the United Kingdom, Australia and France.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier committed to support the ratification of the RAA.