Manila, March 20 -- The Philippine Navy (PN) on Thursday announced that it has committed to have more cooperation with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in addressing traditional and non-traditional threats.

This took place as JMSDF chief-of-staff Vice Admiral Saito Akira paid a courtesy call on PN chief Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta at the Navy headquarters in Manila on Wednesday, the service's spokesperson, Capt. John Percie Alcos, said in a statement.

"During their meeting, Vice Admiral Ezpeleta and Admiral Saito discussed key areas of defense cooperation, including the PN's modernization efforts, joint maritime security initiatives, and strategic partnership between the PN and JMSDF," he added.

Alcos said both...