Tokyo's defence minister said Friday it was "unacceptable" for China to blame Japan for close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas last weekend. Nakatani said Friday that "Chinese statements portraying Japan as the cause of the latest incident are unacceptable".

Their newly ratified reciprocal access agreement paves the way for Japanese forces to train on Philippine soil for the first time since WWII Japan has ratified its reciprocal access agreement (RAA) with the Philippines six months after Manila did,

The two Chinese carriers currently in the western Pacific employ the older “ski-jump” launch method for aircraft, with a ramp at the end of a short runway to assist planes taking off. China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, was a repurposed Soviet ship. The second, the Shandong, was built in China along the Soviet design.

The Philippines' Department of National Defense welcomed the Japanese Diet’s ratification of the deal, saying it would allow both countries to build reliable defense ties. In a statement, Defense spokesman Arsenio said the RAA is in line with President Marcos’ directive to boost partnerships with “like-minded countries."

The past three years were a unique period in the relationship between the two nations. Will Lee’s presidency mark a return to the mean?