Japan and the Philippines will hold high-level defense talks next month, Manila said Friday, as the two countries seek to boost ties in the face of an increasingly confrontational China.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa will discuss “bilateral and defence and security issues affecting the region” at the July 8 meeting in Manila, a Philippine foreign affairs department statement said.
The talks follow escalating confrontations at sea between Chinese and Philippine ships as Beijing steps up efforts…