The sixth meeting of the Japan?Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held on Wednesday in Manila.

The Japanese side was headed by Miyamoto Shingo, deputy director general of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consisted of officials of the National Ocean Policy Secretariat, the Ministry of Defense, and the Japan Coast Guard.

The Philippine side was headed by Marshall Luis Alferez, assistant secretary of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, consisted of officials of the Department of National Defense, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), among others.

Both sides reaffirmed that Japan and the Philippines are two neighboring maritime nations and strategic partners, and discussed the latest developments in their surrounding seas such as the East and South China Seas.

The two sides affirmed the importance of maintaining and strengthening the rules-based, free and open maritime order.

Both sides confirmed progress in bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including those among Japan, the Philippines and the US, on their coordination and exchange programmes between the defense agencies as well as between the coast guard authorities, capacity building including Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and maritime law enforcement capability, and the marine environment.

Both sides shared the determination to continue reinforcing their cooperation in a concrete matter, based on the discussions at the Japan-Philippines Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on November 26 on the occasion of the G-7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The Philippines side expressed their deep appreciation for the great support from Japan to date.

Both sides confirmed that, on the basis of today’s discussion, they will discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation at the Japan-Philippines-US Maritime Consultations to be held for the first time this month in Tokyo, and continue to deepen cooperation in the maritime field to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law.

The Japan?Philippines Maritime Dialogue was formalized in light of the Japan?Philippines Joint Statement of June 2009.

The first meeting of the Japan?Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held in Tokyo on September 9, 2011, followed by the second in Manila on February 22, 2013, the third in Tokyo on June 11, 2019, the fourth in a teleconference format on October 22, 2021 and the fifth in Tokyo on March 29, 2023. Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs