The Philippines will host the next Japan-U.S.-Philippines Maritime Dialogue in 2025, following a groundbreaking inaugural meeting in Tokyo on December 10, 2024.
In separate statements, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the United States Embassy in Manila said this agreement marks a renewed commitment among the three nations to strengthen their trilateral maritime cooperation in response to persistent Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
The trilateral dialogue participants “exchanged views on the recent developments in the South China Sea and reaffirmed their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force,” according to the MOFA statement.
Japan and the U.S. reiterated their strong support for the Philippines’ efforts to peacefully resolve disputes in the South China Sea. They called for adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling that invalidated China’s expansive maritime claims.
“Japan and the U.S. expressed their support for the Philippines’ consistent efforts toward a peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea and reiterated their strong expectation that the parties to the disputes would comply with the Arbitral Tribunal’s award as to the disputes between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China regarding the South China Sea, thereby leading to peaceful settlement of disputes,” MOFA said.
Representatives from Japan’s MOFA, the U.S. National Security Council, and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs were joined by key officials from defense, coast guard, and national security agencies.
“They expressed serious concerns about the PRC’s dangerous and unlawful behavior in the South China Sea – including the repeated blocking and harassment of Philippine vessels from operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone – behavior that threatens the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all nations,” according to the statement from the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
Ryo Nakamura, Assistant Minister/Director-General of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired the dialogue with representatives from the National Security Secretariat, Ministry of Defense, and the Japan Coast Guard.
On the sidelines of the Tokyo meeting, Philippine Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro engaged in bilateral discussions with her Japanese counterparts, exploring additional areas of collaboration in security, maritime law enforcement, and economic development.
The inaugural dialogue, which stems from the April 2024 trilateral summit in the White House brought together senior officials from the three nations to discuss maritime security and uphold a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific.
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink, National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania Mira Rapp-Hooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Laura Updegrove, Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Japan Major General George Rowell, and U.S. Coast Guard Director of International Affairs and Foreign Policy Advisor Holly Haverstick were the senior representatives for the U.S. delegation.
The three nations agreed to deepen trilateral cooperation in 2025 through combined maritime activities, capacity-building programs, and enhanced information sharing. The dialogue reaffirmed their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, anchored on the rule of law and respect for sovereignty. Veronica Uy
