Malacañan Palace
April 29, 2025

“Your timely visit highlights the stability, harmony, mutual respect and immense benefit that we bring to each other. Signs that we are indeed in the golden age of our relations. Significant as we mark the 10th year of our strengthened strategic partnership,” remarked President Ferdinand R. Marcos at the start of his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru of Japan at the State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace.

The President conveyed his appreciation to the Japanese Prime Minister for accepting his invitation to embark on an Official Visit to the Philippines, noting that the two nations will be celebrating a milestone next year – the 70th year of the normalization of diplomatic ties.

In response, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru expressed his warmest greetings to President Marcos Jr. and looked forward to discussing a wide range of topics including national security, economy, and regional and international affairs.

“The Philippines and Japan are neighbors connected by the ocean and we are also an ally of the United States. Our two countries are bound by fundamental values including the rule of law as well as shared challenges in the areas of security, economy and disaster prevention,” said the Prime Minister.

Both leaders highlighted the excellent state of people-to-people exchanges and cited the successful opening of the World Expo 2025 in Osaka where the Philippine Pavilion has become a popular destination.

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