26 July 2016 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. met with H.E. Fumio Kishida, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan on July 25 on the sidelines of the 49th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Post-Ministerial Conferences in Vientiane, Laos.
Secretary Yasay emphasized that the Philippines and Japan are strategic partners and allies and thanked his counterpart for Japan’s support for the legal process of arbitration adopted by the Philippines, as well as for Japan’s infrastructure and development projects, a number of which are intended for Mindanao.
Minister Kishida said that Japan looks forward to assisting the Philippines in terms of enhancing maritime security capability and advancing defense cooperation. The Japan side further welcomed efforts of the two countries in actively promoting cooperation in infrastructure, development and promoting peace in Mindanao, including other fields such as counter-terrorism, law enforcement and environmental protection.
The two ministers agreed that the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the South China Sea case filed by the Philippines is legally binding and should be respected by all.
During the ASEAN Plus Three Ministerial Meeting held in the morning of 26 July 2016, the Secretary conveyed his sympathies for the casualties and injured in the tragic stabbing incident in a facility for the disabled in Japan that took place in the early hours of Tuesday. END