Villamor Air Base, Pasay City 
February 8, 2023  

“My bilateral visit to Japan is essential. It is part of a larger foreign policy agenda to forge closer political ties, stronger defense and security cooperation, as well as lasting economic partnerships with major countries in the region amid a challenging global environment,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored in his departure statement as he embarked on a five-day Official Visit to Japan.

The President, accompanied by his Economic Managers and the rest of the Philippine delegation, boarded a Philippine Airlines chartered flight bound for Tokyo, Japan at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

During his visit, the Chief Executive expressed his intention to forge deeper bilateral cooperation with Japan in the areas of agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, infrastructure, defense and security, among others.

In meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the President shared his optimism to witness the signing and exchange of key agreements in the areas of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, infrastructure, agriculture and digital cooperation that were products of his previous meetings with Prime Minister Fumio on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

President Marcos Jr. also said that he and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos plan to invite Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the Philippines during an imperial audience with Their Majesties. He is also keen to meet the Filipino community in Tokyo to thank them for their contributions, hard work and positive disposition.

“I look forward to bringing home, as they say bringing home more of these agreements that will be of benefit to the transformation of our economy and to be able to mitigate some of the challenges that we are facing in the new global economy,” the President said in wrapping up his departure statement.

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