Manila, April 30 -- The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed hopes the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with the Philippines could be ratified once the Diet or the Japanese parliament ends session in June.

Speaking to reporters following the two-day official visit of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday, Japan MOFA spokesperson Toshihiro Kitamura said the military access deal's ratification would be a "good step forward" to the two states' growing security cooperation.

"We have submitted that agreement to the Diet -we expect that the Diet will start discussions on that agreement very soon," he said.

"We cannot prejudge any kind of conclusion from process, but since the Diet will conclude before the end of June, ...