• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

PH, Japan align marine protection work with High Seas Treaty — DFA

Philippine News Agency

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
November 13, 2025, 7:33 pm

MANILA -- The Philippines and Japan are working to align their marine conservation initiatives with the United Nations High Seas Treaty, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

The DFA said both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on protecting the marine environment and ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources during the 8th Philippines-Japan Maritime Dialogue held in Tokyo on Nov. 6 to 7.

In a statement Thursday, the DFA noted that the dialogue covered a wide range of maritime issues, including safety of navigation, marine environmental protection, and cooperation in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the recently adopted UN High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

The Philippine government deposited its ratification instrument for the BBNJ, also known as the High Seas Treaty, last Sept. 23.

The BBNJ is the first legally binding international accord dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in the high seas.

It aims to establish a framework for creating marine protected areas, conducting environmental impact assessments, and ensuring a fair sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources.

In the meeting, the sides also discussed common challenges faced by the countries and agreed to intensify cooperation for a "free and open Indo-Pacific and a stable maritime domain based on the rule of law."

The countries likewise highlighted the upcoming 10th Anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award, which definitively settled the status of the maritime entitlements of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.

The two sides expressed support for initiatives to synchronize efforts of like-minded countries to promote a rules-based order.

The DFA said Japan looked forward to the Philippines' chairship of ASEAN in 2026, and both sides expressed confidence in a stronger Manila-Tokyo partnership in the years to come.

The maritime dialogue was co-chaired by DFA Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Donato Guzman of the Maritime and Oceans Affairs Office, and Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Director-General Kyoko Hokugo of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.

The maritime dialogue follows the Philippines-Japan Vice-Ministerial Dialogue convened last Oct. 2. (PNA)