Japanese PM arriving in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will embark on a two-day official visit to the Philippines to further enhance the relationship between Manila and Tokyo, now entering its “golden age.”

Ishiba’s visit will take place from April 29 to 30, according to a statement released by Malacañang yesterday.

The Japanese leader and his wife Yoshiko Ishiba will be welcomed by President Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos in official engagements at Malacañang during the first day of the visit.

“The meeting of President Marcos and Prime Minister Ishiba will aim to deepen and improve economic and development cooperation, political and defense engagements and people-to-people exchanges,” the Palace said in a statement.

“Both leaders are also expected to exchange views on regional and global developments, and explore new pathways towards peace and stability under the ‘strengthened strategic partnership’ between the two countries,” it added.

Marcos and Ishiba last met in Vientiane, Laos on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations summits in October 2024.

They also had a virtual meeting with then US president Joe Biden Jr. last January, where they vowed to continue working together to boost their relations in economic, maritime and technology cooperation.

Malacañang noted that the exchange of high-level visits is a main feature of the relations between the Philippines and Japan.

In February 2023, Marcos made an official visit to Japan, which then Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida reciprocated nine months later.

During his Manila visit, Kishida remarked that bilateral relations between the Philippines and Japan were now at the “golden age.”