Japan, PH, US to keep peace, stability – envoy

DAY OF HEROES President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the 81st commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan in Mount Samat, Bataan on Monday, April 10, 2023. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

By Bernadette Reyes

JAPAN, the Philippines and the United States have become "trusting partners" working closely to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko said on Monday during the 81st commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) at the Mount Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan.

Also at the event were President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Cabinet secretaries, senators, Bataan Gov. Jose Garcia, US embassy officials, and World War 2 Filipino veterans.

Japan and the US were bitter enemies during that war, with Philippine troops fighting alongside American soldiers.

Japan has since become one of the US' closest allies in Asia.

Koshikawa voiced hope that relations between the three countries achieve "greater heights," as he noted Marcos' earlier remarks that Japan is "a most reliable partner in times of crises and of prosperity."

He also conveyed his condolences to the victims of the "fierce battle" that took place in Bataan during WW 2 and offered his respects to the war veterans who contributed to the peace and security being enjoyed by Filipinos today.

Koshikawa "expressed the deep remorse felt by the Japanese people due to the country's past actions and concurrently affirmed their best wishes for everlasting peace and determination in upholding a law-based global order," the Japanese embassy said in a statement.

He also stressed that Japan seeks to "prevent a repeat of the tragedies of war for the sake of future generations, amid the increasingly tense international security environment."

Koshikawa said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Marcos have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas during the President's official visit to Japan in February.

Proof of that commitment is the fifth meeting of the Japan–Philippines Maritime Dialogue (JPMD) held last March 29 in Tokyo and attended by Japan's National Security Secretariat, the National Ocean Policy Secretariat, the Ministry of Defense, and the Japan Coast Guard and their Filipino counterparts.

The Japanese side was headed by Hayashi Makoto, Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy director general of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department.

The Philippine side was headed by Maria Angela Ponce, assistant secretary of the Maritime and Ocean Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The two sides discussed the latest developments in the seas surrounding their countries, and ways to strengthen cooperation in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and the Luzon Strait, the embassy said.

Japan has been locked in a dispute with China over the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea.

The Philippines, meanwhile, has been protesting the incursions of Chinese naval ships in Philippine-controlled islets in the South China Sea.

The Japanese embassy said Tokyo and Manila both affirm the "importance of rules-based, free and open maritime order," and continue to work together toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, it said.

The Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was formalized in light of the Japan-Philippines joint statement of June 2009, the embassy said.

The first meeting was held in Tokyo on Sept. 9, 2011, the second in Manila on Feb. 22, 2013, the third in Tokyo on June 11, 2019, and the fourth in a teleconference format on Oct. 22, 2021.