Philippines, Japan To Hold First-Ever Joint Air Drills

The Philippine and Japanese air forces will hold their first-ever joint exercises next week, Tokyo’s embassy said Thursday, signaling a deepening of bilateral ties amid the nations’ tensions with Beijing over territorial disputes in the South and East China seas. A statement from the Japanese embassy here did not mention China but said Tokyo was willing to work with Manila to maintain a “free and strong Indo Pacific” region, which is inclusive and based on democratic values and territorial integrity. “The Japan Air Self-Defense Force … will conduct a Bilateral Training on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief … with the…