Japan, Philippines to Apply Logistics Pact for 1st Time in Drill

Tokyo, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)--The Japan-Philippines acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, or ACSA, signed this year will be applied for the first time at an upcoming bilateral drill, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday.

At the six-day Doshin-Bayanihan 6-26 exercise set to kick off Sunday in the Philippines, the country's Air Force will provide Japan's Air Self-Defense Force with aircraft fuel under the pact, designed to allow the SDF and the Philippine military to exchange supplies smoothly.

In a press conference, Koizumi said that the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise is an "important step that signifies our defense cooperation has entered a new phase."

"We'll continue to build up practical cooperation to further deepen the Japan-Philippine defense cooperation," he added.

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