Pres. Duterte to visit Japan on Oct.25-27

MANILA, Oct. 21 (PNA) -- President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Japan next week will reaffirm the six decades of strategic partnership between Tokyo and Manila, an official of the Japanese Embassy here has said.

During his official visit to Japan on Oct. 25-27, the President will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and will make a State Call on His Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan at the Imperial Palace, the Japanese Embassy's deputy chief of mission and Minister for Political Affairs Atsushi Ueno said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Friday.

President Duterte first met with Prime Minister Abe at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos in September. Next week's meeting will be the second between the two leaders.

The visit to Japan, the first for President Duterte since he assumed office in June, is expected to strengthen all the more the two countries' relations, Ueno said.

President Duterte is also planning to visit the Japan Marine United Corp., which makes vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard.

“Actually, we have delivered the first one and had a turnover ceremony very recently. But we are going to deliver the remaining nine vessels in lieu. So President Duterte will actually see the company, how the Coast Guard vessel is built,” Ueno said. The company is located in Yokohama City.

Early this year, the Imperial couple, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, made a state visit to the Philippines.

Ueno said Japan and the Philippines continue to maintain “very good” bilateral relations, despite the change in the administration.

“As far as the bilateral relations is concerned, despite of the change of presidency in this country, we can maintain very good relations and I’m sure that we can continue to maintain our good relations with President Duterte and his administration as well,” Ueno said.

He noted that President Duterte’s visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines.

Prime Minister Abe and President Duterte are also expected to discuss “regional issues”.

“We would like to strengthen bilateral cooperation and strategic partnership, as well as we expect to reaffirm the cooperation on regional and international issues,” Ueno said.

On the part of the Philippine government, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag said President Duterte’s visit will build on the administration’s policy in “enhancing relations with our neighbors in the region”.

Japan, Banaag noted, is the top trading and official development assistance (ODA) partner of the Philippines in 2015 and the years before that. (PNA)