Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/article/1270276/japan-says-it-will-help-philippines-amid-china-sea-row China
Japan says it will help Philippines amid China sea row
Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera (L) and his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin. Photo: AFP
Japan pledged on Thursday to help the Philippines defend its “remote islands”, as both governments expressed concern over China’s robust moves to stake its claims to disputed Asian waters.
Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said China’s contentious claim to nearly all of the South China Sea and its territorial dispute with Japan in the East China Sea were discussed during top-level talks in Manila.