DFA: Signing of military agreement unlikely during PBBM’s visit to Tokyo

The signing of the proposed reciprocal access agreement between the Philippines and Japan is unlikely to happen during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s three-day official trip to Japan.

According to Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu, the signing of the military agreement, which is "equivalent" to the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States, will not happen as it is simply not part of Marcos' agenda.

"It's not part of the agenda, and as for the bilateral meeting, it might be but I cannot confirm whether that will be part of the agenda," Espiritu told reporters at a Palace briefing when asked about the possibility of the signing of the RAA.

Marcos will fly to Tokyo on Friday to participate in the commemorative summit for the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Japan's friendship and cooperation.

Espiritu noted that the negotiation process for the RAA usually takes a "long time."

"An RAA will require a long time to make so I don't think it will be done in just one sitting," he said.

The RAA is said to be "equivalent" to the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States which allows the transfer of defense personnel between countries for training and disaster relief operations.

Should the Philippines and Japan agree to sign the RAA, Manila would be the first ASEAN member to have such an agreement with Tokyo.

During Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to the Philippines last month, he vowed to exert effort to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Over the weekend, China blasted a water cannon at Philippine vessels in separate parts of the West Philippine Sea.