By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
The Philippines and Japan agreed to begin negotiations on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) that would allow the exchange of logistical support in a bid to deepen security and defense cooperation.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and visiting Japan Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru made the announcement Tuesday following a bilateral meeting in Malacañang.
Ishiba is in Manila for a two-day official visit.
“Japan has been of great assistance in helping us achieve our aspiration for peace and friendship with all nations with strength and with integrity. Further, we have agreed to start negotiations on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement,” Marcos said in his press statement.
The Japanese Prime Minister confirmed this in a separate press statement.
“As we see the deepening of our bilateral cooperation in a multilayered way in recent years, we agreed to start the negotiation through ACSA,” Ishiba said.
“We also confirmed to start the government-to-government discussion on potential conclusion of a security of information agreement in the future,” he added.
An ACSA is a bilateral defense pact that enables the armed forces of two countries to exchange logistical support, such as fuel, food, transportation, medical services, and spare parts, during joint exercises, training, peacekeeping missions, or humanitarian operations.
Similar deals exist between Japan and its allies like the United States and Australia, aimed at improving interoperability and operational coordination during regional and global security engagements.
The announcement comes amid a broader push by both nations to deepen their strategic ties.
In July, the Philippines and Japan signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement, a defense pact allowing deployment of troops to each other’s territories for military exercises and humanitarian operations.
“On defense and security cooperation, it is of note that the Philippines is the first recipient of Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA),” Marcos said, referring to Tokyo’s recently launched aid mechanism aimed at enhancing regional security capacities.
“Even as a new initiative, barely three years old, the OSA has allowed our security agencies, especially the Department of National Defense, to achieve meaningful upgrades,” he added.
The two leaders’ meeting was the latest in a series of high-level engagements between the two close US allies, which have found common ground amid growing regional tensions, particularly in the South China Sea.
Marcos said the meeting laid “the groundwork for a resonant and inspiring future” between the two countries.
“I look forward to continuing our strengthened strategic partnership with Japan, a country that shares our ideals and aspirations of upholding democratic institutions and a rules-based international order,” he said.
