Japan defense minister eyes visit to Philippines as early as April

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani plans to meet with his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin in the Southeast Asian country as early as April to beef up security ties amid China’s increasing maritime assertiveness, a government source said Tuesday. In the talks, Nakatani could discuss the provision of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force TC-90 training aircraft to the Philippines to strengthen its surveillance capabilities in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have competing territorial claims, the source said. The two ministers are also expected to discuss expanding joint exercises between the MSDF and the Philippines navy as well as Japanese support measures to strengthen the Philippines’ military, the source said.   Source: Kyodo Image: Japan Times Share this:TweetEmail