After concluding his first official visit to Japan, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would support entering into a reciprocal military access agreement with Tokyo if it would help protect Filipino fishermen and the Philippines’ maritime territory.
Marcos said this in an interview with reporters on board PR001, the presidential flight back to Manila on Sunday, February 12, after capping his ninth overseas trip as President.
“I think in general, if it will be of help to the Philippines in terms of protecting our fishermen, protecting our maritime territory, if it’s going to help….I don’t see why we should not adopt it,” Marcos said.
The statement comes after Marcos held a 45-minute bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minster Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, where the two leaders agreed to commit to “economic security” and deepen defense ties between their two countries.
Nearly a decade since the Philippines and Japan started talks on a possible agreement, China has managed to patrol and maintain an almost daily presence at key maritime features in Philippine waters as of 2022. Like the Philippines, Japan remains locked in a maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea.