The Philippines and Japan held its first exercise in Cebu under a military access agreement that entered into force on September 11.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) officially commenced Doshin-Bayanihan 5-25 in a ceremony held on Wednesday at Brigadier General Benito N Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.

The term “Doshin” translates to “same mind” in Japanese, while, “Bayanihan" means “mutual support” in Filipino.

The exercise, scheduled from October 7-11, aims to enhance interoperability and deepen cooperation between the two air forces, particularly in the areas of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR).

''This is the first...under the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that came into effect this September between Japan and the Philippines, and actual disaster relief operations will be applied to aid Cebu residents in light of the recent earthquake that struck the province,'' the PAF said in a statement.

This year marks the 6th exercise, which will include 43 PAF personnel and 30 JASDF members, where activities have expanded to focus on enhancing airlift, mobility, and medical operations, as well as night vision goggle flights for PAF observation, which will be conducted for the first time.

Both air forces are deploying C-130 aircraft, with operations designed to simulate real-world HADR scenarios. DMS