Press Releases
7th Meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue
The 7th meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held on November 6, 2025 in Tokyo. The Japanese side was headed by Ms. HOKUGO Kyoto, Deputy Director-General of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with officials from the National Security Secretariat, National Ocean Policy Secretariat, Ministry of Defense, and Japan Coast Guard; the Philippine side was headed by Mr. Emmanuel Donato K. Guzman, Acting Assistant Secretary of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, along with officials of National Security Council, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), among others.
- Both sides reaffirmed that maritime cooperation is fundamental to the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines, both of which are maritime countries. They exchanged views on recent situations in the waters surrounding both countries, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea. They confirmed the importance of bilateral cooperation and coordination with allies and like-minded countries, including the Japan-Philippines-US cooperation, to address these challenges. The Japanese side emphasized the importance of realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). The Philippine side also stated its willingness to strengthen cooperation toward maintaining and enhancing a maritime order based on the rule of law, particularly by respecting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Arbitral Tribunal’s award between the Philippines and China.
- Both sides reviewed the current status and future direction of cooperation, including cooperation through OSA and ODA, maritime domain awareness, cooperation between maritime safety agencies including enhancement of maritime law enforcement capabilities, cooperation between defense authorities, and cooperation in the field of marine environment. The Philippine side expressed gratitude for Japan's support to date.
- Both sides concurred to steadily advance concrete bilateral maritime cooperation, building on the outcomes of the Japan-Philippines Leaders' Summit held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings on October 26.
(Reference) Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue
The Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was formalized in light of the Japan-Philippines Joint Statement of June 2009.
The first meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held in Tokyo on September 9, 2011, followed by the second in Manila on February 22, 2013, the third in Tokyo on June 11, 2019, the fourth in a teleconference format on October 22, 2021, the fifth in Tokyo on March 29, 2023 and the sixth in Manila on December 3, 2024.