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

MANILA, Philippines — Japan and the Philippines agreed Monday to further deepen their defense collaboration and talk about protecting shared military information in the face of mutual alarm over China’s increasing aggressive actions in the region.

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

The Philippines and Japan have agreed to deepen their defense cooperation by creating a new high-level dialogue focused on defense equipment sharing amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.