The Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which will allow both countries to work more closely on defense and security matters, will enter into force on Sept. 11.
This was announced by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya during the Ceremonial Exchange of Notes on the Entry into Force of the PH-JP RAA on Tuesday, Aug. 12. (via Raymund Antonio | MB)
00:00I wish to acknowledge the arrival of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines,
00:06Her Excellency Maria Teresa P. Lazaro,
00:10and the Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Endo Kazuya.
00:15Allow me to further acknowledge the presence of the Secretary of National Defense of the Republic of the Philippines,
00:21the Honorable Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr.
00:24Today, we witness the exchange of notes between the Secretary of Foreign Affairs,
00:30Her Excellency Maria Teresa P. Lazaro,
00:33and the Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Endo Kazuya,
00:37on the entry into force of the agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and Japan
00:42concerning the facilitation of reciprocal access and cooperation
00:46between the armed forces of the Philippines and the self-defense forces of Japan,
00:52otherwise known as the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement, or RAA.
00:58May we now request Secretary Lazaro and Ambassador Endo to exchange the diplomatic notes
01:03notifying the entry into force of the RAA.
01:07The RAA between the Philippines and Japan will facilitate mutually beneficial defense cooperation
01:13between the two countries by establishing a framework for the conduct of such cooperation
01:19and defining the status of visiting forces and its civilian component.
01:24Thank you, Secretary Lazaro and Ambassador Endo.
01:29We request the Secretary and the Ambassador to stay for a series of group photos.
01:36May we request the Honorable Secretary Teodoro to join Secretary Lazaro and Ambassador Endo for a photo.
01:45May we request our three esteemed officials to stay,
01:58and may we ask members of the Philippine Negotiating Panel and our principals to join the photo opportunity.
02:05Undersecretary Maria Helen P. de la Vega,
02:09Assistant Secretary Evangeline T. Ong Jimenez Ducro,
02:12Spokesperson Angelica C. Escalana,
02:17Officer in Charge Paolo V. Saret,
02:20Special Assistant Princess Tomas Tayaw,
02:23From the Department of National Defense,
02:26may we invite Undersecretary Salvador Melchor Mison,
02:30Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo,
02:33Undersecretary Gavin Edjawan,
02:36Assistant Secretary Eric Lawrence D.,
02:39and our colleague from the Department of Justice.
02:44So may we request everyone to look at the cameras.
02:54May we also invite our colleagues from the Embassy of Japan,
03:00Ms. Tamura Maiko,
03:01Defense Adache Aizawa Naoki,
03:05and Second Secretary Nakamura Ko.
03:08Go to your feet, everybody.
03:18Go to your feet.
03:21Go to your feet.
03:28Everybody look here.
03:29Give me a hand, please.
03:31Take five,
03:32in three,
03:32two,
03:33one.
03:34Thank you so much.
03:43So may we now request our guests to please take their seats.
03:46At this point,
03:56I would like to invite Ambassador Endo Kazuya
03:58to deliver his remarks.
04:00Honourable Maria Teresa Lazzaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
04:26Honourable Gilberto Teodoro, Secretary of National Defense, Undersecretary Helen de la Vega, Department of Foreign Affairs,
04:38Undersecretary Salvador Mison Jr., Department of National Defense, Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo,
04:47Department of National Defense, Undersecretary Gavin Ejawan, Department of National Defense,
04:54and all the distinguished officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of National Defense,
05:01Department of Justice, and the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces.
05:06Esteemed colleagues, friends,
05:08It is a great honour for me to be with you today as we mark a transformative step forward in Japan-Philippines relations
05:22through the exchange of notes regarding the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement, RAA.
05:28Following its approval by the Philippine Senate in December of last year,
05:35the RAA was approved by the Japanese Diet early June.
05:40We are pleased to announce that with the exchange of not-verbals today,
05:46the RAA will officially enter into force on 11th September 2025.
05:54This swift and decisive progress speaks to the urgency and strategic value both our nations attach to our security and defence cooperation.
06:07Japan recognises the Philippines as an indispensable partner strategically positioned at the heart of the Indo-Pacific
06:18and united through our shared core values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.
06:26Amid the challenging security environment,
06:28The RAA provides a practical framework for mutually beneficial defence cooperation
06:37by facilitating mutual visits of our forces for joint training, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response.
06:45It strengthens the interoperability between our forces
06:50and affirms our mutual readiness to decisively respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.
06:58This agreement goes beyond being a bilateral milestone.
07:03It is a momentous contribution to the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific
07:09in close cooperation with the Philippines, the United States, and other like-minded partners.
07:18To our distinguished partners gathered here today,
07:22I extend my deepest gratitude for your tireless efforts and commitment
07:28in supporting the full achievement of this agreement,
07:32which also showcases our shared resolve to contribute proactively to regional peace, security, and stability.
07:42As we look ahead, next year marks the 70th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines.
07:53Let us build on this momentum and continue working hand-in-hand,
08:00ensuring that the RAA and our broader cooperation leave a lasting legacy
08:08where our nations stand stronger together and our region thrives in peace, prosperity, and unity.
08:17Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat at mabuhay ang pagkakaibigan ng Japan at Pilipinas.
08:25Thank you very much.
08:26Thank you, Ambassador Endo.
08:30May we now invite Secretary Teodoro to deliver his remarks.
08:34Secretary Teodoro Teodoro
08:40Mr. Excellency Ambassador Endo Katsuya,
08:44our distinguished colleague,
08:46the Honorable Secretary Teodoro Teodoro,
08:50senior officials of both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of National Defense,
08:58and of the Embassy of Japan.
09:00Good afternoon.
09:02I have a prepared set of remarks that I will just insert into the proceedings for today.
09:10However, just a few thoughts.
09:12The RAA that comes into force in September is a logical step forward between the saga of relations
09:22between our two countries since we both won our respective independences.
09:30It is a function of strong people-to-people ties, shared values, and most especially a shared purpose.
09:42At the end of the day, what it means is that our most potent instrument of national power,
09:49which is our armed force, and that of Japan, can work together, but not for destabilizing the world order,
10:00but a shared purpose to preserve it against unilateral attempts to reshape the world order
10:08into the selfish benefit of parties to the exclusion of others.
10:16What the leadership of President Marcos and his Japanese counterparts,
10:23I think there were two before Prime Minister Ishiba did, is to provide a stepping stone,
10:34which allows us today and the future generations to work on, to contribute towards peace, security, and stability,
10:50with an open security architecture, not only in the Asia Pacific, but in the Indo-Pacific,
10:58and yes, to the rest of the world, because of the partnerships we will be entering into as a duo.
11:12It also provides deterrence for those actors who may not see things the way we do,
11:26and who may not share our values.
11:30It provides resilience, because not only will we be working with others, but we will be working with each other,
11:40close neighbors. And this resilience is not only in defense, but in defense industrial partnerships,
11:48in connectivity, in infrastructure, in technology, and in knowledge.
11:58I look forward to the conclusion, speedy conclusion, and I urge both sides to speedily conclude the
12:12component agreements that we need into making the RAA fully implementable.
12:24And I once again congratulate this reaffirmation of the regard and the affinity that the people of the Philippines have for the people of Japan,
12:41particularly at this time. And we speak of this time as a challenging time. Who knows when our children,
12:51children, or our children's children's times come? Will it be better? We hope. Can we rely on that? No.
13:01We have to empower them with as much partnerships as possible in order for them to enable themselves to work with their partners and build a better future. Thank you very much.
13:15Thank you very much, Secretary Teodoro. May we now invite Secretary Lazaro to deliver her toast remarks.
13:27Your Excellency Ambassador Endo Kazuya, Secretary of National Defense, thank you for that excellent speech,
13:42Gilberto Teodoro Jr., colleagues in the Philippine Government, officials of the Embassy of Japan, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
13:51It's my pleasure to have everyone join us in this occasion of great importance to the strengthened strategic partnership of the Philippines and Japan,
14:00the exchange of notes on the entry into force of the Reciprocal Access Agreement, or RAA, between the Philippines and Japan.
14:07A month ago, at the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Minister's meeting in Kuala Lumpur, I had the opportunity to meet with my Japanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi.
14:19As the Philippines has ratified the RAA last December, while Japan completed its own ratification process two months ago, Foreign Minister Iwaya and I agreed on the next step, the early entry into force of the RAA.
14:33That brings us to today's event.
14:36Thirty days from now, pursuant to paragraph two of Article 29, the RAA will enter into force.
14:44Not only will it be an important step in our concerted efforts to enhance our 69 years of bilateral relations,
14:52It will also signify Japan's clear commitment to the Philippines' efforts to advance our defense capabilities in support of the Philippines' firm assertion of its sovereignty and sovereign rights in today's fast-evolving regional security landscape.
15:09It goes to demonstrate consistently the value of our strengthened strategic partnership towards the stability of the Indo-Pacific.
15:19The RAA is a natural progression of the cooperation between the Philippines Armed Forces and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, from active cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster response activities to other aspects of capability and capacity building.
15:37In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July, President Ferdinand Marcus Jr. said,
15:42In the face of new threats to our peace and sovereignty, we are now more resolute in our preparations, vigilance, and self-defense.
15:51And as the President has put it succinctly, our confidence is even greater because we have more allies who will stand with us in times of great need.
16:01I commend the Department of National Defense laid by the Honorable Secretary Chodoro for successfully forging an RAA with Japan, our strategic partner, our friend.
16:13I also commend the members of the Philippine negotiating team from the Department of National Defense, Department of Justice, and the DFA for their commitment and hard work to ensure an RAA that is mutually beneficial and regionally relevant.
16:28On this note, may I wish to invite Your Excellency, Ambassador Endo, Secretary Chodoro, and everyone present here to join me in a toast, please, to the continued success of the strengthened strategic partnership of the Philippines and Japan.
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