PHILIPPINES: PH, Japan Ground Self Defense Forces Beef up Cooperation
The Philippine Army (PA) and the Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) have further enhanced ties following the virtual bilateral meeting of its ranking officials last April 20.
“The Commanding General, Philippine Army (CGPA) Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. and JGSDF Chief-of-Staff Gen. Yoshida Yoshihide held a virtual bilateral talk on April 20, 2022, aimed at deepening cooperation for capacity-building between the two armies,” Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement Friday.
In the virtual meeting, Yoshida informed Brawner about the successful ministerial meeting of the Philippine and Japanese foreign affairs and defense officials on April 9, which was geared at deepening the Philippine-Japan security partnership.
“The two Army leaders discussed deepening cooperation for capacity-building. Gen. Yoshida also invited Lt. Gen. Brawner to visit Japan to sign the revised Philippine Army-Philippine Marine Corps-JGSDF (PA-PA-JGSDF) Terms of Reference,” Trinidad said.
Brawner, for his part, thanked the JGSDF chief for his commitment to strengthening relations between the two armies, particularly Japan’s equipment donation that bolstered the humanitarian assistance and disaster response of the PA.
In October 2021, the Japanese government, through its Ministry of Defense, donated nearly PHP50 million worth of water search-and-rescue (WASAR) and collapsed structure search-and-rescue (CSSR) equipment for the 525th Engineer Combat Battalion (525ECB), the Army’s primary disaster-response unit.
The 525ECB disaster-response teams and their Japanese counterparts held week-long WASAR and CSSR training drills in November 2021.
