Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte retracted his plan (SCMP) to cancel a military cooperation agreement with the United States. The decision was announced after a visit from U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin to Manila. Duterte threatened to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows U.S. troops to conduct military exercises in the Philippines, in February 2020, after the United States denied a visa to a Philippine senator.
Japan: The government will extend its COVID-19 state of emergency (Kyodo) to four prefectures beyond Tokyo and Okinawa amid a rise in cases.
