Erin Devanadera

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya shed light on Japan’s support towards the Philippines during a press briefing at Malacañang on January 15. 

Photo Courtesy of ABS-CBN News.

Iwaya arrived in the Philippines on January 14, 2025, to discuss continuous partnership with the Philippines on behalf of the Japanese government. This meeting was also conducted to deliberate the maritime pressure between China and the Philippines in regards to the South China Sea. 

Following this, Iwaya met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo regarding the South China Sea tension and geopolitical alliance with the Philippines in Southeast Asia. 

“Japan firmly opposes any efforts to unilaterally alter the status quo through force or to escalate tensions in the area, and we earnestly call for the reduction of tensions,” Iwaya said.

“In our meeting here…in response to the developments in the South China Sea, we agreed to further strengthen the Japan-Philippines partnership,” Iwaya continued. 

Iwaya and Manalo also emphasized the significance of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to the uprising of maritime disputes in the Indo-Pacific Region, particularly the South China Sea.
 
“The Foreign Minister and I reiterated our countries’ firm commitment to the rule of law and rules-based order in the South China Sea and the East China Sea,” Manalo said. 

“Japan deeply values the stance of the government of the Philippines for consistently adhering to the Arbitral Tribunal ruling regarding the dispute with China and for pursuing a peaceful resolution to this dilemma,” Iwaya followed. 

The Japanese foreign minister also followed a courtesy call with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang, proposing mutual coordination in strengthening societal and economic ties between Japan and the Philippines. Honoring this, Marcos reasserted the nation’s legacy of economic allyship with Japan. 

“I think that it is good that we continue these discussions, and also I hope that we would be able to have a chance for the Philippines to explain and to show what has been done in terms of agreement since the signing of the tripartite agreement,” Marcos reaffirmed. 

China’s recent presence within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was protested by the Philippines on January 14, 2025. Where China’s largest coast guard vessel, the “monster ship,” was reported to have physically intimidated the nation’s fishermen.