Tokyo's defence minister said Friday it was "unacceptable" for China to blame Japan for close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas last weekend. Nakatani said Friday that "Chinese statements portraying Japan as the cause of the latest incident are unacceptable".

Japan's stock benchmark fell on Friday as Israel's military strike on Iran raised investors' concerns that Middle East tensions will escalate.

The two Chinese carriers currently in the western Pacific employ the older “ski-jump” launch method for aircraft, with a ramp at the end of a short runway to assist planes taking off. China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, was a repurposed Soviet ship. The second, the Shandong, was built in China along the Soviet design.

Japan is expanding its missile capabilities and military presence near China as part of a strategic buildup. With concerns about China’s growing power and uncertainty over US defense commitments, Japan is increasing spending,

The Philippines' Department of National Defense welcomed the Japanese Diet’s ratification of the deal, saying it would allow both countries to build reliable defense ties. In a statement, Defense spokesman Arsenio said the RAA is in line with President Marcos’ directive to boost partnerships with “like-minded countries."