Japan defense executive in town to observe Pacific Partnership 2015

MANILA, Philippines - The chief of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces is on a three-day visit to the country to observe disaster and humanitarian missions under the Pacific Partnership 2015.

Under the partnership, the Philippines, the United States and their allies will conduct training to ensure effective conduct of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

The exercise seeks to strengthen international relationships with partner and host nations in the Asia-Pacific.

Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano and his party arrived at Camp Aguinaldo at around 3:30 p.m. yesterday and were given military honors.

He met with Armed Forces chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri for about an hour, but details of their discussions were not immediately available.

It remained unclear if the two military officials talked about the West Philippine Sea dispute or the plan to transfer Japanese military equipment to the Philippines.

“We discussed matters on how to further strengthen our military-to-military relationship based on a memorandum of agreement on defense cooperation and exchanges signed by our country’s defense establishment,” Iriberri said in a text message.

China is claiming almost the entire South China Sea while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

To assert its claim, China has embarked on a reclamation project in seven reefs also being claimed by the Philippines.

The construction projects are located in Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi), Kagitingan (Fiery Cross), Kennan (Chigua), Mabini (Johnson South), Burgos (Gaven) and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reefs.

Japan and China are also fighting over the Senkaku Islands, an uninhabited area in the East China Sea that Beijing calls Diaoyu.

Last June, President Aquino and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to begin discussions on a visiting forces deal, a move seen as a response to China’s expansion and military buildup.

Defense officials, however, have admitted that a visiting forces agreement may not be reached within Aquino’s term because of the long legal process.

The two countries have also agreed to explore the transfer of Japanese military hardware and technology to the Philippines, one of the weakest in the region in terms of defense capability.