Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno will arrive in the Philippines Saturday for a three-day official visit aimed at further boosting the “strategic partnership” and cooperation between Manila and Tokyo.
Kōno will fly to Davao City to meet President Duterte and other key Cabinet officials for bilateral discussions on areas of mutual interest, including Japan’s support for the country’s infrastructure development and Mindanao following the successful conduct of the Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite last month and Feb. 6 and lead the opening ceremony of the consulate-general of Japan there.
“The ties between Japan and the Philippines can be described as a deep and warm family or brotherly relationship. I hope my visit to the Philippines this time will help deepen the bond between the two countries in the ‘Golden Age’,” Kōno said.
This is Kōno’s third visit to the country since assuming as Japan’s top diplomat in August 2017. The Philippines was also the first country he visited as foreign minister when he attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations commemorative meetings hosted by the Philippines in August and November of that year.
While in Davao City, Kōno will visit the Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (Mindanao International College) to interact with “nikkeijin” or Filipinos who are of Japanese descendants and join other guests in tasting his favorite tropical fruit, durian.
Kōno emphasized that the bilateral relations between Japan and the Philippines have never been as favorable and robust since the re-establishment of the diplomatic relations some 63 years ago.
“In the various fields such as politics, security, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, the strategic partnership between the two countries is now in the Golden Age as stated by President Duterte,” noted Kōno, adding that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Duterte have held six summit meetings since the Chief Executive took office in 2016. (Roy Mabasa)
