Japan and the Philippines have committed to assisting each other in extraditing misbehaving service members to the nation that holds jurisdiction over them, according to the newly signed Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya announced on Friday.
The PH-Japan RAA is similar to the PH-US Visiting Forces Agreement, which addresses the conduct of US soldiers participating in joint military exercises in the Philippines.
In an exclusive interview on “24 Oras,” Vicky Morales, anchor of GMA Integrated News, questioned Kazuya about the issue of misbehaving foreign service members.
“Under the RAA, the authorities of the Philippines and Japan shall cooperate with one another in the arrest of military personnel, visiting forces in the receiving states, and in the transfer of such personnel to the authority which is to exercise jurisdiction,” Endo stated.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa signed the RAA on July 8.
The agreement will facilitate mutual training between the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on their respective territories.
According to earlier reports, the agreement will also allow additional Japanese personnel to participate in the annual “Balikatan” exercises, which are joint military drills between the US and the Philippines.
However, before the agreement can take effect, it must be approved by Japan’s National Legislature and the Philippine Senate.
