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)
