Overview
- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was welcomed as a state guest in Tokyo and received the Grand Cordon at a ceremony at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday, May 27, underscoring the visit's ceremonial and diplomatic focus.
- Leaders announced on Thursday that formal negotiations will begin on a General Security of Military Information Agreement, known as GSOMIA, to allow protected military intelligence sharing between the two countries.
- Japan and the Philippines also agreed to elevate relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and to accelerate talks on possible transfers of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 patrol/training aircraft.
- Those defence talks follow Tokyo's April decision to relax long-standing limits on lethal-arms exports and will be paired with new cooperation on maritime-border delimitation, energy-resilience funding, and trade and investment measures.
- The tighter Japan–Philippines security link aims to boost Manila's patrol and surveillance capacity, deepen interoperability with U.S. partners, and could require legal, training, and delivery steps that may push equipment handovers into 2027.