Japan’s Diet ratified a key defense pact allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint drills with Filipino troops in the Philippines, Philippine Ambassador to Tokyo Mylene Garcia-Albano said.

Garcia-Albano said the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan is a testament to the trust and enduring friendship between the Philippines and Japan.

“We welcome today’s approval of the by the House of Councillors, which completes the approval process in the Japanese Diet,” She sadded.

The RAA, which similarly allows Filipino soldiers to enter Japan for joint combat drills, was approved by the Philippine Senate on December 2024.

Japan and the Philippines are establishing closer security ties in reaction to China’s aggressive territorial assertions. China and Japan are also locked in a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku islands, which the Chinese call Diaoyu, in the East Sea.

A vital trading and shipping lane, the South China Sea, dotted with rocks, shoals, and reefs where rich oil and mineral deposits were found, are claimed in part or in whole by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

Similar to Manila’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with its treaty ally, the United States, the RAA defense pact with the Philippines is the first to be signed by Japan in Asia. Japan signed similar agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom.

“We thank the Government and people of Japan for their steadfast support and continued collaboration,” Garcia-Albano said.