Japan and The Philippines Hold 2+2 Meeting

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - JULY 08: Japan Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko (2L) and Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (2R) sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), as Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru (L), Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (C), and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo look on, on the sidelines of the Japan-Philippines Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting at the Malacanang Palace on July 8, 2024 in Manila, Philippines. The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) aims to foster greater defense cooperation between the Philippines and Japan by easing access for troops between the two countries. The deal comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea, where Philippine troops on a routine resupply mission last month to Second Thomas Shoal were attacked with knives and axes by Chinese Coast Guard sailors. (Photo by Lisa Marie David - Pool/Getty Images)