China's aggressive acts around the Senkaku Islands and South China Sea are clear and blatant violations of international law and cannot be allowed to continue.
China did little on its BRI pledges to Manila but the immediate provocation was its aggressive attacks near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines EEZ.
Leila de Lima, as human rights commissioner, justice secretary, and senator probed into extrajudicial killings carried out by Duterte's alleged "death squad."
Japan, G7 countries, Australia, and EU call for respecting international law after China's Coast Guard and militia fire water cannons at a Philippines vessel.
A quasi-alliance with the Philippines will be important for Japan's security and economy, and will complement the two countries' shared concerns about China.
Like Japan, the Philippines is part of the "first island chain" and strategic terrain for defending the region's small democratic bloc from an aggressive China.
PM Kishida hopes to advance cooperation with ASEAN nations Malaysia and the Philippines to counter China's aggressive push for control of the South China Sea.
From the discredited nine-dash line, China's new map includes a new 10-dash line claiming nearly all of the South China Sea, trampling on international law.
While a clear win for press freedom, dismissal of the politically motivated tax cases clears "the way of doing business in the Philippines," says Maria Ressa.
The head of the UN warned the ASEAN nations in Jakarta about mounting crises while Mr Kishida offered regional partners help with infrastructure and security.
Countries such as the Philippines have lodged protests against China's new map, which includes a "ten-dash line" claiming almost the entire South China Sea.
"More than ever we must work together with the international community to face today's challenges," said PM Kishida at the World War II remembrance ceremony.