The plan of the Philippines and Japan to conduct war games as part of the two countries' military partnership arrangement is illegal and unconstitutional, according to a political analyst in Manila.
In an interview with Xinhua, Jose Cortez, a consultant of the Media and Communication Research Center (MCRC) of the Universidad de Manila (University of Manila), said that the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation and exchanges signed by the Philippines and Japan is a blatant violation of the l987 Philippine Constitution.
Cortez was reacting to the meeting on Friday between admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, chief of the Joint Staff of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, and Philippine military officials led by General Hernando Iriberri, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
After the meeting with Kawano, the Department of National Defense issued a press statement saying that Kawano has expressed interest in conducting more joint military exercises with the country, particularly amphibious landing exercises and maritime operations.
The press statement also quoted Kawano as saying that Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has pushed for security legislation to allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to expand their activities abroad.
Read the full story at Want China Times