President Duterte yesterday kicked off his four-day visit to Tokyo, Japan as he is one of the 400 foreign Very Important Persons invited to witness the ceremonial enthronement of new Japanese Emperor Naruhito today.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, who will be joining Duterte, said the President will only bring a very lean delegation to Japan.
“It’s a lean delegation. Leaner than we thought,” he said.
According to Panelo, Duterte will attend the enthronement proper today when the emperor’s banquet will also be held. The President was also invited to the prime minister’s banquet the following day.
The Palace official said that the President will return to the country Thursday.
Panelo said Duterte’s visit to Japan is important because the Philippines considers the Land of the Rising Sun a “special strategic partner in various areas and greatly values the diplomatic ties of the Philippines with it.”
“The golden age of Philippines-Japan friendship has indeed started to unfold. PRRD, as our head of state, therefore believes that it is but proper to give honor to an important partner by being present at the enthronement ceremony which is considered by the Japanese to be one of their country’s most momentous events,” he said.
He also said that Japan is the Philippines’ second major trading partner and fourth biggest source and market for Philippine tourism.
A total of 26 business agreements with an estimated investment value of $5.511 billion projected to create 82,737 jobs in the country were signed during Duterte’s working visit to Tokyo in May. (Argyll Geducos)