MANILA – Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi will continue promoting closer cooperation with the Philippines, including on establishing a free and open rules-based order in the region.
The newly appointed Iwaya made the commitment after speaking with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo in a telephone meeting on Tuesday.
During the call, Manalo congratulated Iwaya on his appointment and the latter stated that he “would like to steadily promote Japan-Philippines cooperation as well as multilateral cooperation, including Japan-US-Philippines cooperation, to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.”
Japan has been a staunch supporter of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” as well as the 2016 Arbitral Ruling in the South China Sea.
In a readout on Tuesday afternoon, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said the two officials exchanged views on regional and international issues and “concurred to continue working closely together on the situation in the East and South China Sea.”
The ministers welcomed the “remarkable progress” on the cooperation between the two nations in a wide range of areas, specifically security, economy, and people-to-people exchange.
Manalo and Iwaya said they would further deepen cooperation in various areas, toward the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan in 2026. (PNA)