Japanese gratitude

A day after the official visit in Tokyo of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Japanese Diet parliament re-elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe into office. Abe first became Japan’s prime minister from September of 2006 until his sudden resignation in September of 2007 – and then his return to power in December 2012.

The 63-year-old Prime Minister got the overwhelming votes from Abe’s own allies from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and their coalition members last Wednesday. Abe’s LDP retained its two-thirds “super majority” in parliament’s lower house election held last Oct. 22. Since he returned to power as Prime Minister in 2012, Abe also has remained as LDP president up to present.

Days ahead of the Japan visit of US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Abe first hosted the official visit of President Duterte in Tokyo. Trump’s visit to Japan is part of his Asian swing before coming to the Philippines to grace the 40th anniversary of the ASEAN-US and the East Asia Summit.

The meeting of the two world leaders comes at a time when there is growing concern over the volatile situation about North Korea and its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). In a telephone conversation on Monday, Abe and Trump reportedly agreed to work together on steps to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development.

Before he left for Tokyo last Sunday night, President Duterte raised the idea for concerned world leaders to try to engage North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in a dialogue to forestall nuclear holocaust. This was a departure from President Duterte’s earlier attitude on Kim whom he likened to a spoiled brat and poked fun at “for playing like toys” the deadly ICBM launch tests.

During his arrival press conference in Davao International Airport last Tuesday night, President Duterte admitted he never got to formally present his proposal to his Japanese counterpart at their bilateral talks in Tokyo. The Philippine leader conceded it is only China that has competence to deal directly with Kim without precipitating the North Korean leader into pushing the buttons of his ICBMs.

Besides being the first foreign head of state to visit the Philippines since President Duterte took office in June last year, the Japanese leader is also the highest ranking foreign official to set foot at his family residence at the Matina District. The former Davao City Mayor still goes every weekend to his house at Doña Luisa Subdivision Phase 1.

Included in the Prime Minister’s state visit in January 12-13 this year was a trip to Davao City, known as the “Little Tokyo” of the Philippines for its large population of Japanese people who settled in the city before the WW II.

It was actually a return gesture of President Duterte for Abe who hosted him in his state visit to Tokyo in October last year. In reciprocity, President Duterte treated Abe to a breakfast at his home. He took his Japanese visitor to a guided tour of his house all the way to the master’s bedroom. President Duterte even showed the mosquito net he uses when he sleeps on his bed during his weekend vacations.

It left a deep imprint in the mind of Prime Minister Abe when he was given this honor and privilege during his brief two-day state visit here.

Thus, it is a well-meaning gesture that proved to benefit the entire Filipino people, with Japan’s being generous more than ever to the Philippines.

Weeks before President Duterte flew to Tokyo, an advance team of his Cabinet economic team got to present last month the ambitious “Build, Build, Build” Infrastructure program before Japanese government officials and various businessmen’s groups in Tokyo. According to Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno, they were able to raise roughly $9 billion in “soft loans” as funding support to the infrastructure program laid down for the next five years of the Duterte administration.

On top of this, Diokno said, $6 billion worth of foreign direct investment deals were inked by Philippine business delegation with their Japanese counterparts during the official visit of President Duterte last Tuesday in Tokyo. “Plus yet to be quantified assistance to rebuild Marawi,” he added.

The same Japanese generosity flowed to the Philippines during the shortened term of former President Joseph Estrada when he first met with the late Japanese Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi who became Prime Minister of Japan from July 30, 1998 to April 5, 2000.

Mr. Estrada was still president-elect when his late Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. asked him if he could meet already with Obuchi who was then on a visit in Manila as Japanese Foreign Minister. Since he was still not officially installed at Malacanang Palace, Mr. Estrada obliged to meet with Obuchi over luncheon at his family residence in Polk St. in Greenhills, San Juan City.

For Japanese government officials like Obuchi, being invited by his host to his home is a great honor.

When Obuchi later became Prime Minister of Japan, he supported then President Estrada when the Philippines hosted the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in November 1999. The $80-billion assistance of Japan to ASEAN – dubbed as Obuchi Funds upon the suggestion of Mr. Estrada – provided generous assistance to our country and the rest of ASEAN member states to help cope with the impact of the Asian financial crisis at that time.

The Philippines received $3 billion in financial assistance spread over 10 years to fund various food and agriculture programs, including $372 million in soft loans for infrastructure projects, from the Obuchi Funds. When Obuchi died due to illness, Estrada flew to Tokyo to attend his funeral on June 8, 2000.

Our famous hospitality to our guests and visitors, especially when demonstrated by our top leaders, pay very well for all of us Filipinos. For such gestures, the Japanese gratitude pours out with a natural flow that goes down to the benefit of the Filipino nation.