Japan and its allied Philippines agreed to a "strategic dialogue" as a means to bolster defense tech and equipment cooperation, both nations announced Monday.

Japan and the Philippines, however, have steadily deepened defense and security ties largely due to concerns over Chinese aggression in the region. Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.

Manila is shoring up military partnerships with other nations as it seeks to counter Beijing in a South China Sea dispute.

The two ministers tackled regional security issues, including the maritime situation in the East and South China Seas

MANILA: An "increasingly severe" security environment has made deepening security ties with the Philippines a necessity, Japan's defence chief said

Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to further deepen defence ties in the face of an "increasingly severe" security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani said on Monday.