International Symposium: “Safeguarding the Maritime Domain for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific”

On March 6, 2026, the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), in collaboration with the Philippine-based think tank the Stratbase Institute for Strategic and International Studies (Stratbase Institute), held an international symposium titled “Safeguarding the Maritime Domain for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” in Makati City, the Philippines. This symposium was accredited as one of the official projects commemorating the 2026 Philippines–Japan Friendship Year (70th Anniversary of the Normalization of Diplomatic Relations) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

As more than 160 audience members and numerous media representatives filled the venue, researchers and practitioners from Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and India engaged in policy-oriented discussions on the potential for a new cooperative framework regarding the maritime domain of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” At the opening of the symposium, Japanese Ambassador H.E. Endo Kazuya and National Security Council Adviser and Director General Eduardo M. Año delivered keynote speeches. The program for the event can be viewed here .

The video of the symposium was released on JIIA’s official YouTube channel.
▶ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD23rZ0GtX8nQCONXrBAV79YEXchmK4gp

Related URL:
・Embassy of Japan in the Philippines: “Ambassador ENDO Kazuya attends the symposium, ‘Safeguarding the Maritime Domain for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific’” https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/11_000001_02183.html
・Embassy of Japan in the Philippines: “70 Years of Friendship” https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/JPPH70.html