Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held talks on Tuesday with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a move to advance security and economic ties between two of Washington's closest Asian allies amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday to further boost an alliance in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Ishiba will meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila later Tuesday at the start of his two-day visit.

The leaders of Japan and the Philippines pledged in Manila on Tuesday to deepen security ties, including increased intelligence sharing, as they grapple with territorial disputes with China. Japan has its own dispute with China over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea -- known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan -- which are claimed by Beijing but administered by Tokyo.

Police say that climber who was airlifted with altitude sickness near the peak of Mount Fuji last week returned to the slope and was rescued for a second time.

The 27-year-old university student was carried down the iconic Japanese mountain on a stretcher days after being airlifted from its peak.

A climber airlifted with altitude sickness from near the peak of Japan's Mount Fuji last week returned to the slope and was rescued for a second time just four days later.