Press Releases
Japan-Philippines Foreign Ministers’ Telephone Talk
December 8, 2021
On December 8, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a telephone talk with Hon. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, for about 20 minutes from 9:00 a.m. The overview of the talk is as follows:
- At the outset, Minister Hayashi stated his intention to further strengthen the bilateral ties at the juncture of the 65th anniversary of the diplomatic normalization and the decennial of the Strategic Partnership. In response, Secretary Locsin reiterated the message of congratulations on Mr. Hayashi’s appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and conveyed his hope to forge close ties with Minister Hayashi.
- The two ministers affirmed the heightened importance of international coordination to respond to COVID-19, including the omicron variant. Minister Hayashi expressed his commitment to continuing support to the Philippines’ response to COVID-19 and the Mindanao peace process. In response, Secretary Locsin once again expressed his appreciation for Japan's long-standing cooperation including response to COVID-19, infrastructure development, and the Mindanao peace process.
- The two ministers confirmed their intention to advance concrete cooperation for the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and the “ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific.” Furthermore, the two ministers concurred on promotion of security cooperation by promptly proceeding with the launch of the Japan-Philippines Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting (“2+2”), which was endorsed by the two leaders at the Summit Telephone Talk in November.
- The two ministers also exchanged views on regional affairs, and Minister Hayashi expressed his strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas. The two ministers concurred on the importance of like-minded countries’ coordinated action in raising their voices as well as that of peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The two ministers also exchanged views on North Korea, including its nuclear and missile activities, and affirmed that they would continue to coordinate in dealing with North Korea, including on the abductions issue.
- Minister Hayashi shared his intention to give full support to ASEAN’s initiatives regarding Myanmar, and the two ministers concurred on further enhancing close coordination toward turning around the deadlock.
- The two ministers concurred on cooperating toward the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN Friendship and Cooperation in 2023.