WORLD
Japan, Philippines eye space as next area of defense cooperation
Baku, June 24, AZERTAC
Space technology and surveillance could be the next step toward air defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in response to China's increasing military activities in the Indo-Pacific, a senior Japan Self-Defense Forces officer said Thursday, according to Kyodo News.
"Unfortunately, seas and skies are no longer a safe place," Shunji Izutsu, chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, said, speaking in English, during a visit to the Philippines as the two countries advance defense cooperation in the face of Beijing's militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea.
"Both nations, the Philippines and Japan, are engaging in increasing surveillance capability (and have) interest in engaging in the space situation awareness," Izutsu said in a joint news conference with Connor Anthony Canlas, chief of the Philippine Air Force, at the Clark Air Base in the country's north.
"Surveillance and awareness are very important for securing our national security," Izutsu said.
Canlas said Tokyo-Manila relations are "getting stronger" as they expand from what was a purely economic partnership before to "military and defense."
Both officials also agreed technology sharing could include software use for operating air defense radars and information gathered through satellites.
The Philippines expects the delivery of the four air defense radars to begin this year, as part of the Philippine government's contract with Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. to modernize the Philippine air defense system, according to Canlas.
The radars could help detect and mitigate the effect of a natural calamity or an attack, he said.