Press Releases
11th Meeting of the Japan-Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation
The eleventh meeting of the Japan-Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation was held on July 28, 2021, in a teleconference format. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Izumi Hiroto, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, on the Japanese side; and by Hon. Carlos G. Dominguez, Secretary of Finance, and Hon. Karl K. Chua, Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning, on the Philippine side.
- The delegates gave status updates on the follow-through activities pertinent to the “Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation for the Next Five Years,” declared in October 2017. Specifically, the delegates discussed modalities of bilateral cooperation on the Philippine government’s development agenda, including flagship infrastructure projects in the three metropolitan areas, impacts of and response to COVID-19 on each project, and efforts in support of the Mindanao peace process amid the ongoing disarmament activities.
- Both sides welcomed that (1) Japan’s commitment of one trillion yen by public and private financing in 2017 has been fulfilled within the 5-year period, upon the Exchange of Notes concerning the Metro Manila Subway Development on July 27, and (2) Japan’s commitment in November 2019 to assisting the formulation of the Subic Bay Regional Development Master Plan was accomplished.
- The Philippine delegation expressed deep gratitude for Japan’s wide-ranging cooperation, including the recent COVID-19 vaccine provision.
- The two sides shared their commitment to continuing close coordination through this joint committee for the purpose of “fast & sure” implementation of bilateral cooperation projects.
[Reference] Japan-Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation
On his visit to the Philippines in January 2017, the then Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced Japan’s plan to provide one trillion yen in assistance over the following five years, including ODA and private-sector investment, and to establish a Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation in order to monitor the implementation of cooperation projects in public-private partnership toward Philippines’ nation-building.
The first meeting of the joint committee was held in Tokyo on March 27, 2017, followed by the second in Manila on July 7, the third in Tokyo on September 25, the fourth in Cebu on February 12, 2018, the fifth in Tokyo on June 20, the sixth in Manila on November 21, the seventh in Osaka on February 21, 2019, the eighth in Clark on June 18, the ninth in Hakone on December 6, 2020, and the tenth in teleconference on October 28, 2021.