Japan, Philippines sign defense pact in the face of shared alarm over China
Voice of America
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro shake hands after signing the Reciprocal Access Agreement at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on July 8, 2024.
Japan and the Philippines signed a key defense pact Monday allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills, to the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as they face an increasingly assertive China.
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