Philippine marines march between Philippine and Japanese flags prior to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's (not pictured) arrival for a wreath-laying ceremony at Jose Rizal's monument in Manila on Nov. 3, 2023. Ted Aljbe, AFP/File 

MANILA – Newly installed Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has vowed closer cooperation with the Philippines amid the two countries’ respective disputes with China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ishiba made the commitment during informal talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos last week, according to Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs.

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A readout of the meeting said the two Asian leaders agreed to improve bilateral relations in an “increasingly challenging regional security environment.”

“President Marcos stated that he was pleased to meet Prime Minister Ishiba immediately after his inauguration. President Marcos also expressed that he was delighted to see the strengthening of bilateral relations between Japan and the Philippines as well as the progress in Japan-U.S.-Philippines cooperation, and that he would like to further enhance cooperation with Prime Minister Ishiba. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba gave greetings on his inauguration as Prime Minister and stated that he would like to further deepen cooperation with the Philippines in the midst of an increasingly challenging regional security environment,” the ministry said.

Also on the table was a potential early enforcement of a defense pact, called Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), signed by Marcos and former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in July.

Marcos and Ishiba further discussed cooperation on economic, security, and agricultural technology.

Manila and Tokyo have been increasingly collaborating on defense and security initiatives as both nations face challenges related to territorial disputes with China—over the South China Sea for the Philippines and the East China Sea for Japan.