Cooperating with Philippines, US to protect South China Sea: Japan PM Fumio Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday that Japan, the Philippines, and the United States are working together to protect the freedom of the South China Sea. Kishida made this statement during his visit to the Philippines. He met with the Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, where they agreed to start negotiations on a reciprocal troop access deal to strengthen military cooperation amid an increasingly assertive China, reported Reuters. Both the Philippines and Japan are close allies of the United States and are concerned about what they see as aggressive actions by Chinese ships in the South China Sea,…