Latest news with #TheresaLazaro
The Mainichi
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Philippines sees no issue if Japan amends Constitution to define SDF
MANILA (Kyodo) -- The Philippines' new foreign minister has said she sees no problem if Japan were to amend its pacifist Constitution to clarify the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces, acknowledging that it would even contribute to the two countries' robust defense cooperation. Speaking to Kyodo News on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said that revising Article 9 of Japan's supreme law, which renounces war and bans Japan from possessing a military, to define the SDF "will augur well" for its relations with the Philippines and suit the current security issues. "We see no emotional hang-up on such a situation. It's a different world now. We are interconnected," Lazaro said when asked how the issue is viewed by the Philippines with its harrowing experience under the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has long sought to mention the SDF in the Constitution to counter claims the forces are unconstitutional. The supreme law was drafted under the U.S.-led Allied occupation of Japan after the war and took effect in 1947. During the war, which ended with Japan's surrender to the Allied powers on Aug. 15, 1945, approximately 1.1 million Filipinos and 500,000 Japanese soldiers and citizens died. While a strong anti-Japanese sentiment swept the Philippines for years after the occupation, the two countries normalized relations 11 years later and have since continued improving them. The Philippines in 2023 became a recipient of Japan's official security assistance aimed at supporting like-minded partners by providing defense equipment. The two countries signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement last year to facilitate the transfer of SDF and Philippine military personnel for joint exercises and disaster relief. The defense deals were made as both the Philippines and Japan, along with United States and other countries, face China's growing assertiveness in regional waters along with North Korea's missile and nuclear threats. Meanwhile, Lazaro, who assumed her post early this month, said the Department of Foreign Affairs is considering sending officials to a memorial service for the Japanese and Philippine war dead "to commemorate this very important occasion." Although the Philippine government has sent a message to the embassy-organized event that is held annually on Aug. 15 at the Japanese Memorial Garden in Laguna, south of Manila, Philippine officials have not usually attended. In 2016, Japan's then Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the site, which was built in 1973 by Japan, while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba became the first Japanese leader to do so when he went there in April this year. (By Ronron Calunsod)
Japan Today
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Philippines sees no issue if Japan amends Constitution to define SDF
The Philippines' new foreign minister has said she sees no problem if Japan were to amend its pacifist Constitution to clarify the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces, acknowledging that it would even contribute to the two countries' robust defense cooperation. Speaking to Kyodo News on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said that revising Article 9 of Japan's supreme law, which renounces war and bans Japan from possessing a military, to define the SDF "will augur well" for its relations with the Philippines and suit the current security issues. "We see no emotional hang-up on such a situation. It's a different world now. We are interconnected," Lazaro said when asked how the issue is viewed by the Philippines with its harrowing experience under the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has long sought to mention the SDF in the Constitution to counter claims the forces are unconstitutional. The supreme law was drafted under the U.S.-led Allied occupation of Japan after the war and took effect in 1947. During the war, which ended with Japan's surrender to the Allied powers on Aug. 15, 1945, approximately 1.1 million Filipinos and 500,000 Japanese soldiers and citizens died. While a strong anti-Japanese sentiment swept the Philippines for years after the occupation, the two countries normalized relations 11 years later and have since continued improving them. The Philippines in 2023 became a recipient of Japan's official security assistance aimed at supporting like-minded partners by providing defense equipment. The two countries signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement last year to facilitate the transfer of SDF and Philippine military personnel for joint exercises and disaster relief. The defense deals were made as both the Philippines and Japan, along with United States and other countries, face China's growing assertiveness in regional waters along with North Korea's missile and nuclear threats. Meanwhile, Lazaro, who assumed her post early this month, said the Department of Foreign Affairs is considering sending officials to a memorial service for the Japanese and Philippine war dead "to commemorate this very important occasion." Although the Philippine government has sent a message to the embassy-organized event that is held annually on Aug. 15 at the Japanese Memorial Garden in Laguna, south of Manila, Philippine officials have not usually attended. In 2016, Japan's then Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the site, which was built in 1973 by Japan, while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba became the first Japanese leader to do so when he went there in April this year. © KYODO
GMA Network
14-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
DFA Chief to Pinoy sailors: Avoid Red Sea
Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro appealed to Filipino seafarers to avoid sailing to the Red Sea. (Photo by Michaela del Callar) Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro on Monday appealed to Filipino seafarers to avoid sailing to the Red Sea following the back-to-back deadly attacks against two cargo vessels by Houthi rebels. Both the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity, attacked by the Iran-backed Yemeni group a day apart, were manned by Filipino crew. The two ships sank off the Red Sea – a key trade route. 'We encourage our Filipino sailors to avoid sailing in the Red Sea while the situation remains dangerous,' Lazaro said in a press briefing. All 17 Filipino seamen from the Magic Sea survived the assault, while eight were rescued from the Eternity, including the Filipino captain. The fate of the rest of the 13 of the 21 Filipinos from the Eternity was unknown amid reports that the rebels took several hostages from the sunken vessel. Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships it claims have links to Israel and have vowed to step up attacks until the country ends its aggression in Gaza. Lazaro said the DFA and its diplomatic posts, along with the Department of Migrant Workers, are coordinating with relevant agencies for the rescue of the missing Filipinos. Manila is also in touch with Saudi Arabia and the UK, as well as the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), she added. 'The DFA continues to advocate for the rights, safety, and decent conditions for our seafarers,' Lazaro said. Piracy and ransom kidnappings of Filipino sailors, particularly in waters off Africa, have long been a problem for the Philippine government, as it cannot monitor their movements when at sea. The Philippines is one of the world's largest providers of shipping manpower. A bulk of Filipino seamen or more than 20 percent of the world's 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, cargo ships, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to attacks. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
The Star
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Philippines rejoining ICC not in motion, but discussed
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. - Reuters MANILA: Malacañang has yet to issue a directive regarding the country's bid to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), but discussions among agencies involved have transpired, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Sec. Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Monday (July 14). Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Lazaro repeatedly clarified that there are no ongoing efforts to rejoin the ICC. 'There's no movement as far as cascading to the Department of Foreign Affairs, I'm sure there had been discussions with other agencies like the Department of Justice,' said Lazaro. In June, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. said he was open to discussions on the Philippines rejoining the ICC. On March 17, 2018, then President Rodrigo Duterte formally withdrew from the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the ICC. Despite the withdrawal, the ICC retained jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019, covering the period when the country was still a member. The ICC currently has custody of Duterte, who was arrested on March 12 and sent to The Hague for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration's bloody war against drugs, which left at least 6,000 people dead. Human rights groups are reporting the toll could be as high as 20,000. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
The Star
13-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Philippines, US and Japan push to advance trilateral economic ties
MANILA (Bernama-PNA): The Philippines, the United States, and Japan are focused on developing their trilateral economic partnership to complement their growing security ties, the US State Department has announced. According to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), the foreign ministers of the three states - Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi - discussed the plan and the need to unlock more private sector investments in their flagship Luzon Economic Corridor. They met on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meeting in Malaysia on Thursday (July 10), the statement said. The State Department said Rubio highlighted Manila's wealth in critical minerals and stressed the need to diversify critical mineral supply chains. The officials proposed advancing trilateral cooperation in the Philippines on cyber security, energy (including civil nuclear energy), and investments in reliable and secure telecommunications networks. They concluded with an agreement to hold sectoral trilateral discussions at the senior officials' level in the coming months to advance their shared desire for peace and security in the region. In the same meeting, the officials reaffirmed their interest in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific and agreed to coordinate cooperation on maritime security, including through Maritime Cooperative Activities, trilateral military exercises, and capacity building and assistance for the Philippine Coast Guard and other Philippine maritime authorities. -- Bernama-PNA
