In the Philippines, Japanese PM suddenly talks about the South China Sea

The Japanese government said the Land of the Rising Sun together with the Philippines and the United States (US) would work together to protect the freedom of the South China Sea to help improve security and Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the aim of this trilateral cooperation was to protect freedom of the seas.

"In the South China Sea, trilateral cooperation to protect freedom of the sea is ongoing," said Kishida, during his official visit to the Philippine congress in the capital Manila, reported by Reuters, Saturday (4/11/2023).

As is known, last month China and the Philippines accused each other of a collision in disputed waters in the South China Sea. This happened when Chinese ships blocked Philippine ships supplying troops there.

Meanwhile, China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis.

However, Japan does not have any claims to the South China Sea, but has maritime disputes with China in the East China Sea.

"Japan will continue to contribute to improving the Philippines' security capabilities, thereby contributing to regional peace and stability," continued Kishida.

Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr previously agreed to start negotiations on a reciprocal troop access agreement to strengthen military cooperation.

Additionally, Kishida said Japan agreed to provide the Philippines with coastal surveillance radar, the world's first cooperation project under the Official Security Assistance (OSA) program, aimed at helping improve the deterrence capabilities of Tokyo's partner countries.

The radars will be placed in five separate areas along the Philippine coast.

The radars are a fixed type of radar and are used by the Philippine navy for coastal surveillance, but did not provide further details about where they would be placed.