Philippines, Japan to hold 2+2 meeting next week

Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara will travel to Manila to meet their Philippine counterparts on July 8.

The Philippines and Japan will hold their first 2+2 ministerial meeting in Tokyo in April 2022. (Source: FJJ)

According to a statement from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs , the heads of the foreign and defense ministries of Japan and the Philippines will discuss defense and security issues affecting the region, and exchange views on regional and international issues.

This is the second ministerial-level meeting under the 2+2 format, currently the highest consultation mechanism between the two countries, a “platform to further strengthen the decades-long strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan.”

During the visit, the Foreign Minister and the Defense Minister will hold separate bilateral meetings with their counterparts to discuss areas of mutual interest.

According to Bloomberg , the 2+2 meeting between the Philippine and Japanese ministers is important as it is held at a time when China is expanding its military presence in the East Sea, causing concerns from Japan, the US, Australia, the European Union and Canada.

The Philippines and Japan are pushing to sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) - a pact that provides a legal framework for greater bilateral security cooperation.

Japan recently signed two similar agreements with Australia and the UK, both of which came into effect this year.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/philippines-va-nhat-ban-hop-22-vao-tuan-toi-277096.html