The Philippines and Japan on Thursday affirmed the importance of keeping the Indo-Pacific area and its sea lanes free and open to anyone who wish to transit through the various maritime territories.
This developed in the wake of the 5th meeting of the Japan – Philippines maritime dialog in which the two neighboring maritime nations and strategic partners discussed the latest developments in and around the region.
In an post-meeting email sent to Context.ph, the Embassy of Japan in Manila said: “Both sides, representing the two neighboring maritime nations and strategic partners sharing vital sea lanes, discussed latest developments in their surrounding seas such as the East and South China Seas as well as ways to strengthen cooperation in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and the Luzon Strait.
“Both sides affirmed the importance of rules-based, free and open maritime order and continued to strengthen cooperation in the maritime-related fields toward the realization of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)’ and the ‘ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)’ based on the outcomes of President Marcos’s Official Visit to Japan this February.”
In the March 29 Japan – Philippine meeting, the Japanese panel was headed by Hayashi Makoto, deputy director general of southeast and southwest Asian affairs department of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With him were officials from National Security Secretariat, the National Ocean Policy Secretariat, the Ministry of Defense, and the Japan Coast Guard.
The Philippine side was headed by Maria Angela A. Ponce, assistant secretary of maritime and ocean affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, and officials of the Department of National Defense and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), among others.
The first Japan – Philippine Maritime Dialog was held in Tokyo on September 9, 2011 followed by the second meeting in Manila on February 22, 2013, the third in Tokyo on June 11, 2019 and the fourth in a teleconference format on October 22, 2021.
The series of meetings highlight the importance to Tokyo and Manila of the 14-country area that spans across the entire Pacific Ocean all the way to the Indian Ocean with estimated population of more than 400 million.
Three of the largest economies in the world – China, India and Japan – are located in the area that accounts for roughly a third of all economic activities across countries.
