Japan, Philippines sign disaster

9/2/2023 18:18

        Japan and the Philippines signed an agreement on disaster relief on Thursday, a deal seen as a precursor to closer security ties between the two nations at a time of heightened tensions with China.
        
        The agreement, called a terms of reference, sets out how their armed forces would work together during disaster relief operations, the Philippines defence ministry said in a statement.
        
        It was struck during an official visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to Tokyo, his first since taking office in July.
        
        Japanese officials previously told Reuters that the disaster relief deal would make it easier to establish a broader legal framework allowing Japanese forces to deploy to the Philippines.
        
        Some lawmakers in the Philippines have called for the country to sign a so-called visiting forces agreement with Japan, which allows them to deploy forces on each other's soil. Tokyo recently signed such deals with Australia and Britain, and also hosts the biggest concentration of U.S. forces abroad.