Japan, Philippines agree to deepen defense ties

JAPAN and the Philippines agreed Monday, February 24, 2025, to further deepen their defense collaboration and talk about protecting shared military information in the face of mutual alarm over China's increasing aggressive actions in the region. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, forged the agreements in a meeting in Manila where their concern over China's actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea was high in the agenda. Japan and the Philippines are treaty allies of the United States, and the three have been among the most vocal critics of China's assertive…