Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. expressed optimism that there will be deals, including the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that will be signed during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the country next week.

"I am optimistic that there will be some agreements signed and I am optimistic on the progress of the way forward on the reciprocal access agreement between Japan and the Philippines," said Teodoro.

A reciprocal access agreement is a security and defence pact, which will allow Japan to have shared military training and operations with another country.

Teodoro said the government is seeking security arrangements such as holding joint military exercises, joint patrols and multilateral cooperation of freedom of navigation with other countries like Japan to help secure maritime borders.

In an interview with Foreign Correspondence of the Philippines (FOCAP) last week, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. also expressed hope that the RAA or also known as "Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)" with Japan will be signed during Kishida's visit from November 3 to 5.

"We are hoping that the Visiting Forces Agreement will be signed already so that the Japanese forces can come to the country to join with us and in the same manner we can also send our troops to Japan to train with their forces," he said.

Brawner said the documents for the RAA "are now with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)".

"We are hoping that by the end of the year it will be signed so that by the start of next year we can already do more engagements," he said. Robina Asido/DMS