South China Sea issue tops PNoy’s Japan agenda

The South China Sea dispute will take center stage when President Aquino confers with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his state visit beginning Tuesday in Tokyo.

Wide ranging bilateral talks on economic, cultural, military, tourism and other issues will be on the table during the President’s five-day visit which will be his first in a country which occupied the Philippines for four

years and treated its citizens brutally during World War II.

But the atrocities committed during the war will take the back seat as Japan plans to give the President a lavish welcome to be led by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. He will also be the main guest in a state banquet to be hosted by their Majesties. A speech at the National Diet, a rare accommodation for a visiting dignitary, has also been lined up as Japan appears to pull all the stops in welcoming the President whose own mother, Cory Aquino, also addressed the Diet during her presidency.

He will also have a long discussion with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe where the South China Sea dispute will likely top the agenda. Japan has been wary of China’s military expansion and the two leaders will have common ground to address the issue and perhaps find ways to stem the tide of China’s blatant expansion in the disputed sea.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Minda Cruz said in a press briefing yesterday that the President’s visit, the first of only two Japan will host this year, will reaffirm the two nations’ strong commitment to enhance its strategic partnership.

“We had our bilateral relations many years back (in 2011),” Cruz said, “but it has been put to a higher level, which is strategic partnership.”

The strategic partnership, however, will not include direct military assistance such as the one the Philippines has with the United States which the other day reaffirmed its “iron clad” commitment to defend the Philippines in case of a direct attack from an aggressor.

But with Japan, Cruz explained that the two nations agree on many points regarding regional security issues. These include, among others, the freedom of navigation and the observance of international law following the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Cruz said President Aquino will surely reiterate the Philippines stand on the issue of the South China Sea where the country has been protesting the military presence of China which has been building infrastructure to accommodate ships and planes.

Security issues, however, will just be one of many that will be discussed during the visit which will also mark the 60th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In addressing the Diet, Aquino plans to give his audience an overview of what is going on in the Philippines, the strides it has taken in overall development in the hope that the positive news will invite more investors.

Cruz did not say the particular bilateral agreements scheduled to be signed during the visit scheduled June 2-5. But she was certain Aquino will not leave Japan without bringing home a package that will have long-term benefit for the country.

Cruz noted that in the past, Japan’s ODA, also known as Official Development Assistance, has helped the Philippines on economic growth, infrastructure and community building. She sees these to continue with Aquino’s visit.

She also said that Japan has been involved in the peace and development in Mindanao although she did not go into specifics.

Cruz also mentioned the expanded tourism between the two countries which has been aided by the relaxed visa requirements of Japan towards Filipino travelers. Japan, she said, had nearly half a million people visit the Philippines last year.

She hopes that Aquino’s visit would give the Japanese people more opportunities to acquaint them with the Philippines and visit the country.

Another aspect of the President’s visit, Cruz said, is interacting with the Filipino community sometime in the middle of his visit.