Philippines, Japan announce negotiations for key defence pact

Japan and the Philippines said Friday they will start negotiations for a defence pact that would allow the countries to deploy troops on each other's territory. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the start of reciprocal access negotiations following talks in Manila.
The accord would create the legal basis for the countries to send defence personnel to each other's territory for training and other operations. Kishida said the countries also agreed to further boost cooperation between Japan, the United States and the Philippines. Japan will provide the Philippines with a coastal radar surveillance system as part of a million USD security assistance package.