Philippines, Japan sign disaster relief deal

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos JrMarcos Jr speaks at the Congress Center during the World Economic Forum WEF annual meeting in Davos on January 18, 2023. PHOTO AFP TOKYO joined the Philippines and Japan on Thursday to sign an agreement on disaster relief, a deal seen as a precursor to closer security ties between the two nations.

The deal signing by officials from both sides was broadcast by the Philippines state media. State media said it was part of seven agreements struck during an official visit by President Ferdinand Marcos JrMarcos Jr to Tokyo.

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Japanese officials previously told Reuters that the disaster relief deal would make it easier to establish a broader legal framework that allows Japanese forces to deploy to the Philippines.

Some lawmakers in the Philippines have called for the country to sign a so-called visiting forces agreement with Japan, which allows them to deploy forces on each other's soil. Tokyo recently signed such deals with Australia and Britain, and is home to the biggest concentration of US forces abroad.

Marcos, who said his visit to Japan was intended to forging stronger defense and security cooperation among other things, last week signed an agreement that gives the United States greater access to military bases in the Philippines.