Ceremonial Hall, Malacañan Palace
April 29, 2025

In a celebration of enduring friendship and growing strategic partnership, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos hosted an official banquet in honor of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and Mrs. Yoshiko Ishiba of Japan at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañan Palace.

In his remarks, President Marcos Jr. expressed deep appreciation for Japan’s unwavering support across multiple sectors, including economic development, security and defense, health, peace initiatives in Mindanao, and information and communications technology, among others.

“I assure Your Excellency of the sustained commitment of the Philippines to the positive trajectory of our relations as we approach the 70th year of the normalization of our diplomatic ties next year,” said President Marcos Jr.

For his part, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his admiration for the Philippines, noting that Japan is currently the most popular travel destination among Filipinos with nearly half of the respondents in recent polls choosing Japan as their preferred destination.

“Through today’s meeting, as well as a banquet, at this point we would like to join hands further so that we can cooperate in responding to challenges for our two nations for the regions and for the world,” said Prime Minister Ishiba.

Concluding his remarks, Prime Minister Ishiba extended an invitation to President Marcos Jr. to participate in the upcoming World Expo 2025 in Osaka, signaling a desire to boost cooperation on regional and global challenges.

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