Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Philippine PresidentBenigno Aquio have agreed to start negotiations on an accord for thetransfer of military equipment and technology, aiming to strengthensecurity ties.

Meeting in Tokyo on June 4 duringAquino’s official visit to Japan, the two leaders shared serious concernabout unilateral actions to change the status quo in the East Sea withChina’s recent rapid and mass reclamation work in mind, according to thejoint statement issued after their talks.

The two leadersunderscored the importance to address disputes in line withinternational law. To ensure regional peace and stability, they agreedto bolster their security cooperation through bilateral and multilateralexercises.

The two leaders hailed the signing of an accordbetween Japan Marine United Corporation and Philippine Department ofTransportation and Communications. The move paves way for the provisionof patrol boats to the Philippines.

In a bid to tap the potentialof the Philippines, the two leaders set out a road map for bettertransport infrastructure in Manila to facilitate business operations inthe capital known for its traffic congestion. In the blue print, Japanpledged to implement a railway project worth 300 billion JPY (2.4billion USD).

Speaking at a business forum on the same day, thePhilippine President called for further investment from Japan whilehighlighting hallmark made by Japanese enterprises across fields ofelectronics, shipbuilding and automotive industries, among others.

Withsome 1,200 Japanese businesses operating in the Philippines, Japan isthe Philippines’ largest trading partner in 2014 as well as largestofficial development assistance (ODA) provider for the southeast Asiancountry to boost infrastructure development and other targets.-VNA