Japan and the Philippines agreed Saturday to start talks toward a possible defense agreement that would allow closer cooperation between their militaries amid regional tensions with China and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and their Philippine counterparts, Teodoro Locsin and Delfin Lorenzana, in their first so-called “2+2” security meeting agreed to begin formal discussions about a possible reciprocal access agreement — a defense pact that would allow their troops to visit each other’s countries for training and to exchange defense equipment to increase interoperability and cooperation.
