Japan, the Philippines and the United States vowed to further deepen cooperation under a trilateral arrangement in the face of rising tensions in Asia's waters, the three countries said following a call among their leaders.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden met virtually on Monday morning Asian time. Marcos' communications office said the leaders "agreed to enhance and deepen economic, maritime and technology cooperation."

The Philippines has initiated a significant move to strengthen its coastal defense by installing Japanese-supplied radar systems which threatened China near the Batanes islands. These islands, located less than 200 kilometers from Taiwan,