MANILA, Nov. 30 -- Filipino and Japanese naval and air units carried out their third bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Nov. 29, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, the AFP said the latest MCA underscores the "steady growth of defense cooperation" between the Philippines and Japan.

For the third iteration, the AFP deployed the guided-missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), an AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopter and a Philippine Air Force C-208B surveillance aircraft.

Japan's participation was led by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) with the guided-missile destroyer JS Harusame (DD-102) and a SH-60K helicopter.

The fi...