A GOLDEN AGE OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Recently I had the immense privilege to welcome His Excellency Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Republic of the Philippines, in Japan on his visit from October 29 to 31, only two weeks after my arrival in Manila. As the newly appointed Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines and as a Balikbayan who started my diplomatic career in Manila in the early 1980’s, it gave me great pleasure to be a part of this moment of further strengthening Japan’s relations with the Duterte administration and enhancing our Strategic Partnership, especially with the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings around the corner. Through this experience and building upon the two countries’ past achievements, I have resolved to work with the Philippines in building a “golden age for our strategic partnership,” as President Duterte expressed in a joint press announcement with Prime Minister Abe. During his stay in Japan, President Duterte had productive and fruitful engagements, including a summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a courtesy call by Foreign Minister Taro Kono, and witnessing of the signing of the exchange of notes for the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project. In the summit meeting, our two leaders discussed various areas of cooperation such as infrastructure development, support for Mindanao, anti-illegal drug measures, and security/counterterrorism measures while exchanging views on regional and international affairs. Prime Minister Abe emphasized that he is looking forward to his forthcoming visit to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN-related Meetings. To cap the visit, Japan and the Philippines issued the “Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation for the Next Five Years.” The Joint Statement emphasizes Japan’s intention to steadily implement its contribution totaling one trillion yen over the next five years through public and private sector efforts, an announcement Prime Minister Abe made in January this year during his visit to the Philippines. We strive to pursue quick and sure implementation of various projects with a focus on major fields of cooperation as articulated in this joint statement (For the entire document, please see http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/000303417.pdf). As part of our efforts, we hope to make significant progress soon in the Metro Manila Subway Project, which is the largest Flagship Project of the Duterte administration. As the last event in Japan, the President and Madame Avanceña had a meeting with Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace. We are confident that President Duterte’s second visit to Japan has unlocked the potential not only for further advancement of our bilateral relations but also for greater prosperity of the region. The Embassy of Japan humbly reiterates its gratitude to President Duterte for the honor of his presence.