Philippine officials tell Japanese businessmen it's 'business as usual' despite regional tensions

Tokyo

PHILIPPINE officials strove on Wednesday in Tokyo to assure Japanese businessmen that the relationship between their two countries would remain on a "business as usual" basis despite the prospect of shifts in the regional balance of power as Manila reassesses its relations with Washington, Japan's major alliance partner.

At the same time, visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte sought to assure Japan that his four-day visit to China last week was all about economics and not security issues. But his repeated suggestion on Wednesday that Manila might abrogate defence pacts with the US was hardly what Japan wished to hear.