Philippines-Japan meeting to eye defense pact, may bud more 'coalitions'

MANILA/TOKYO -- The Philippines and Japan are set to elevate their security partnership when their defense and foreign ministers hold a crucial "two-plus-two" meeting in Manila on Monday amid worsening tensions between the Southeast Asian country and China in the South China Sea.

One focus of the talks, the second of their kind, will be a potential reciprocal access agreement (RAA), easing access for troops between the two countries and streamlining joint military exercises. Beyond that, experts say the meeting could eventually help pave the way to new frameworks of cooperation that include the Philippines and other regional players.