Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Japan
2 June 2015
President Benigno S. Aquino III arrived at 3:19 pm onboard Philippine Airlines flight PR001 to begin his four-day State Visit to Japan upon the invitation of the Japanese government.
Upon his arrival at the airport, the President was met by Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez and his wife, Maria Teresa Lopez. He was also met by Deputy Chief of Mission Gilbert Asuque, Minister Josel Francisco Ignacio, and Defense and Armed Forces Attaché Colonel Noel Plaza.
On the Japanese side, the President was received by Takashi Uto (Parliamentary Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs); Ambassador Jun Yamazaki (Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa (Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines); Misuzu Iwami (Vice-Grand Master of the Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency); Hideyuki Iizuka (Master of the Ceremonies, Imperial Household); Naoki Kumagai (Director, Second Southeast Asia Division, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs); and Yoshinori Suzuki (Administrator, Tokyo International Airport).
Among the Cabinet members comprising the Philippine delegation are Finance (DOF) Secretary Cesar Purisima, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Julia Andrea Abad, Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson, Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma and Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Laura Del Rosario.
In his four-day State Visit, the President will meet with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace and will hold a series of courtesy calls and business meetings. Similarly, he will address the National Diet and will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This is the fifth time that the President is visiting Japan since being elected in 2010.
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