The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years Japan’s defence minister pledged to deepen military cooperation with the Philippines during a visit Tuesday to Manila, aiming for the “early transfer” of Abukuma-class destroyers to the archipelago nation. The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years, including the signing of a reciprocal access agreement allowing for the deployment of troops on each other’s territory. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit came as a contingent of 1,400 Japanese personnel was taking part for the first time in annual US-Philippine military exercises, and just weeks after Tokyo eased decades-old arms export rules in a major policy shift. Japan’s new arms export rules trigger Chinese warning against ‘moves towards militarism’ Speaking alongside Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, Koizumi – who signed a defence pact with Indonesia a day earlier – said that the two countries would create a working group focused on defence equipment.
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