MANILA — A Japanese lawmaker and former defense minister said on Friday he is hopeful that a reciprocal troop pact between Japan and the Philippines will be ratified during a ministerial meeting in Manila in July.
READ: Philippines, Japan foreign and defense ministers to meet July 8 in Manila
Japanese Diet lawmaker Itsunori Onodera also told a press conference in Manila that challenges in the South China Sea are legitimate concerns of the international community, Japanese Diet lawmaker Itsunori Onodera told a press conference.
—Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by John Mair
