By Clint Richards
The Philippines is seeking to indirectly link its territorial problems with Japanese normalization.
On Tuesday, Philippine President Benigno Aquino made several provocative comments that will have regional neighbors cheering and jeering in turn. While speaking at the presidential palace in the capital of Manila to Japanese reporters, Aquino outlined his desire to work more closely with Japan on matters of security, shortly before accusing China of complicating an already delicate situation in the South China Sea. While he gave the appearance that the two issues were separate, by including them in the same set of remarks, and particularly before a Japanese audience, Aquino demonstrated a desire to conflate them without directly trying to provoke confrontation.
The president expressed his hope that the Philippine military and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces might conduct joint exercises “somewhere down the line,” and called Japan the Philippines greatest strategic partner after the U.S. He also showed support for Japan’s reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution, saying “You would want to be assured that your partners… would be able to assist you if you came to a predicament.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat