President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that the signing of a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan signifies East Asia's commitment to its relationship with the Southeast Asian country.

The Chief Executive said this in his speech after he witnessed the signing of the RAA deal at the Heroes' Hall in Malacañan Palace.

Both Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko signed the RAA, which aims to heighten defense cooperation between the two countries in the middle of the escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

"Your presence here increases our confidence in the importance that the Japanese government puts on these extremely important agreements that we have," Marcos said.

"I'm very glad that we have come to this day. Once again, welcome to the Philippines, and I'm happy that you are able to come and visit--to visit and to be part of this important event," Marcos added.

Kamikawa, for her part, considered the signing of the RAA deal an achievement as both Japan and the Philippines have made concrete progress in a wide range of areas of cooperation.

"To maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law, we would like to strengthen our partnership under Your Excellency's leadership," Kamikawa told Marcos.

Meanwhile, Kihara praised the leadership of Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in bolstering the relationship between the two nations.

He also pledged to keep collaborating with Teodoro to further improve defense cooperation and exchanges between the Philippines and Japan.

"The signature of the Reciprocal Access Agreement today represents the cooperative relationship our two nations enjoy, and I welcome this new development which reinforces the effectiveness of our defense cooperation," Kihara said.

"I am committed to working with my good colleague, Secretary Teodoro, to further enhance our defense cooperation and exchanges in order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific," Kihara added.

The Philippines and Japan initiated the RAA negotiations during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to the Philippines last November.

The RAA with Japan was initially promised at the first Philippines-Japan Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting, also known as the 2+2, in April 2022.

This commitment was reiterated during President Marcos’ official visit to Japan in February 2023. The first formal negotiations on the RAA took place in Tokyo on 29 and 30 November 2023.

Additionally, Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) for the Philippines was formalized on 3 November last year, coinciding with Prime Minister Kishida's official visit to the Philippines.

Last April, President Marcos participated in a Trilateral Summit with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida, where they reaffirmed their dedication to a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, emphasizing their shared values of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.