&nbsp;Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte softened his remarks about a &quot;separation&quot; from long-time ally the United States on the eve of a visit to Japan, a country worried about Manila`s apparent pivot away from Washington and towards China.

&quot;The alliances are alive,&quot; Duterte told Japanese media in Manila on Monday, Kyodo News reported. &quot;There should be no worry about changes of alliances. I do not need to have alliances with other nations.&quot;

 
The remarks will be welcomed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to keep ties with the Philippines tight during Duterte`s visit to Japan, starting on Tuesday.

 
Duterte jolted the region last week on a trip to China when he announced a realignment towards Beijing, the latest in a series of outbursts against the United States.

 
Duterte and his aides later tried to clarify that he did not mean he was cutting ties with the United States and his remarks on Monday were the most conciliatory yet.

Duterte told Japanese media he had been expressing a personal opinion, not speaking for the government when he mentioned separating from Washington, the Nikkei newspaper said.&nbsp;

He said he only plans to have an &quot;alliance of trade and commerce&quot; with China, Kyodo reported.

The Yomiuri newspaper, however, said Duterte had repeated he wants to halt joint military exercises with the United States and end a military cooperation pact seen as crucial to projecting US power in Asia in the face of a fast-rising China.

 
Worried Japan 
Abe has sought to strengthen ties with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries as a counter-balance to Beijing.

 
&quot;It&#39;s certainly unfortunate and we are worried, but such things will not change Japan&#39;s commitment to the Philippines,&quot; said Narushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and former defence official, referring to Duterte&#39;s comments.

 
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry, after talking to his Philippine counterpart on Sunday, is confident the two countries can &quot;work through&quot; a period of confusion caused by Duterte`s remarks the State Department said.&nbsp;

 
Duterte has railed against U.S. expressions of concerns about the high loss of life in his campaign against drugs and Washington&#39;s calls for due process.

 
Japanese officials said Abe would not overtly try to mediate between Tokyo and Washington but would probably explain the importance of the U.S. role in the region.

 
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will meet Duterte on Tuesday for a low-key dinner, and Abe will hold rare one-on-one talks with Duterte at his residence in Tokyo the next evening following a larger, more formal meeting with senior officials.

 
&quot;I believe ties between Japan and the Philippines are very important and that seeking to stabilise bilateral ties will lead straight to peace, stability and prosperity of the region as well as of the international community,&quot; Kishida told reporters.

 
He added he wanted to listen carefully to Duterte&#39;s views.

 
Duterte&#39;s predecessor Benigno Aquino angered China by lodging a case with an arbitration court in the Hague challenging the legitimacy of Beijing&#39;s maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.

 
A ruling earlier this year emphatically favoured Manila but was rejected by China, which has repeatedly warned the United States and Japan to stay out of the dispute.

 
Duterte said the two countries had agreed not to discuss the international court`s ruling on his initial visit, but would have to talk about it at some point, the Nikkei reported.&nbsp;

 
(Reuters)

 
&nbsp;

Duterte jolted the region last week on a trip to China when he announced a realignment towards Beijing

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte softened his remarks about a "separation" from long-time ally the United States on the eve of a visit to Japan, a country worried about Manila`s apparent pivot away from Washington and towards China. "The alliances are alive," Duterte told Japanese media in Manila on Monday, Kyodo News reported. "There should be no worry about changes of alliances. I do not need to have alliances with other nations." The remarks will be welcomed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to keep ties with the Philippines tight during Duterte`s visit to Japan, starting on Tuesday. Duterte jolted the region last week on a trip to China when he announced a realignment towards Beijing, the latest in a series of outbursts against the United States. Duterte and his aides later tried to clarify that he did not mean he was cutting ties with the United States and his remarks on Monday were the most conciliatory yet. Duterte told Japanese media he had been expressing a personal opinion, not speaking for the government when he mentioned separating from Washington, the Nikkei newspaper said. He said he only plans to have an "alliance of trade and commerce" with China, Kyodo reported. The Yomiuri newspaper, however, said Duterte had repeated he wants to halt joint military exercises with the United States and end a military cooperation pact seen as crucial to projecting US power in Asia in the face of a fast-rising China. Worried Japan Abe has sought to strengthen ties with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries as a counter-balance to Beijing. "It's certainly unfortunate and we are worried, but such things will not change Japan's commitment to the Philippines," said Narushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and former defence official, referring to Duterte's comments. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry, after talking to his Philippine counterpart on Sunday, is confident the two countries can "work through" a period of confusion caused by Duterte`s remarks the State Department said. Duterte has railed against U.S. expressions of concerns about the high loss of life in his campaign against drugs and Washington's calls for due process. Japanese officials said Abe would not overtly try to mediate between Tokyo and Washington but would probably explain the importance of the U.S. role in the region. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will meet Duterte on Tuesday for a low-key dinner, and Abe will hold rare one-on-one talks with Duterte at his residence in Tokyo the next evening following a larger, more formal meeting with senior officials. "I believe ties between Japan and the Philippines are very important and that seeking to stabilise bilateral ties will lead straight to peace, stability and prosperity of the region as well as of the international community," Kishida told reporters. He added he wanted to listen carefully to Duterte's views. Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino angered China by lodging a case with an arbitration court in the Hague challenging the legitimacy of Beijing's maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea. A ruling earlier this year emphatically favoured Manila but was rejected by China, which has repeatedly warned the United States and Japan to stay out of the dispute. Duterte said the two countries had agreed not to discuss the international court`s ruling on his initial visit, but would have to talk about it at some point, the Nikkei reported. (Reuters)

Philippines:  Duterte eases stance towards US. before Japan visit

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Philippines: Duterte eases stance towards US. before Japan visit