No Phl-Japan defense deal signed in Tokyo

The signing of a proposed Reciprocal Access Agreement between the Philippines and Japan is unlikely to happen during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s coming three-day official trip to Japan.

According to 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 not on the agenda of Marcos' visit.

"Not at all because it's not part of the agenda, and as for the bilateral meeting, maybe, but I cannot confirm whether that will be part of the agenda," Espiritu told Palace reporters.

Marcos is flying to Tokyo on Friday to participate in the commemorative summit on the 50th anniversary of the friendship and cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan.

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

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

The RAA, like the VFA, will allow the movement of defense personnel between the Philippines and Japan for training and disaster relief operations.

Should the Philippines and Japan sign an 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 efforts 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 with water cannons Philippine vessels in different parts of the WPS.