Press Releases
Second Japan-U.S.-Philippines Maritime Dialogue
The Second Japan-US-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The Japanese side was headed by Ms. HOKUGO Kyoko, Deputy Director-General of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with officials from the Ministry of Defence and Japan Coast Guard; the U.S. side was headed by Mr. Michael George DeSombre, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State, along with officials from Department of State and United States Coast Guard; the Philippine side was headed by Mr. Leo Herrera-Lim, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Policy, Department of Foreign Affairs, along with officials from National Security Council (NSC), Department of National Defense and Philippine Coast Guard.
- The three parties welcomed the progress made in trilateral cooperation between Japan, the U.S. and the Philippines across a wide range of fields since the first Japan-U.S.-Philippines Maritime Dialogue in 2024, and reaffirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation in the current situation.
- The three parties had frank exchanges of views on the recent situation in the South China Sea and reaffirmed their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. They also reaffirmed the significance of the Arbitral Tribunal’s award as to the disputes between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.
- The three parties concurred on strengthening their respective bilateral initiatives in a mutually complementary and multilayered manner. They also concurred on maintaining and strengthening the momentum of trilateral cooperation in the future.