Japan-Philippines Relations

　From 4:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 15 minutes, Prime Minister Kishida offered flowers at Rizal Park, where a statue of Jose Rizal, a national hero who led the Philippine independence movement, is located.

　From 4:40 p.m. local time (5:40 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 30 minutes, Prime Minister Kishida exchanged views with representatives of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines on the current business situation in the Philippines and the outlook for Japan-Philippines economic relations.

　From 6:25 p.m. local time (7:25 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 85 minutes, Prime Minister Kishida held a summit meeting with H.E. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, at the Office of the President of the Philippines. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
　The Summit Meeting was attended on the Japanese side by Mr. MORIYA Hiroshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. MORI Masafumi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, among others; and on the Philippine side by Hon. Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Gilberto C. Teodoro，Jr., Secretary of National Defense, Hon. Christina Garcia Frasco, Secretary of Tourism, among others. The meeting started with a small group meeting which was held for approximately 25 minutes. A joint press statement (Japanese(PDF) / English(PDF)) was issued after the meeting.

　President Marcos welcomed Prime Minister Kishida's visit to the Philippines and expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral relations. In response, Prime Minister Kishida stated that mutual visits by the leaders is a testament to the strong bilateral relationship and that he would like to enhance cooperation in maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law as well as ensuring a world where human dignity is respected. Prime Minister Kishida also expressed his condolences to the people of the Philippines who fell victim to the terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants.

　President Marcos expressed his hope to further deepen bilateral relations through a steady follow-up on the Japan-Philippines Joint Statement of this February, and to make concrete progress in bilateral cooperation projects together with Japan.
　Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the signing of the Exchange of Notes concerning the provision of coastal surveillance radar system, which is the first cooperation project under the Official Security Assistance (OSA), and explained that Japan would continue to strengthen cooperation on defense equipment and technology, including the transfer of warning and control radars, and maritime security capacity building, including the provision of patrol vessels.
　The two leaders welcomed the start of negotiations on the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), and also concurred to proceed coordination to steadily conduct bilateral consultations on security and defense, including the holding of Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting ("2+2"). Furthermore, they concurred to enhance further collaboration in such areas as cyber security and economic security through promoting Japan-U.S.-Philippines cooperation.

　Prime Minister Kishida stated that both the public and private sectors would continue to support President Marcos' "Build Better More" policy, including the development of infrastructure such as the Dalton Pass East Alignment Alternative Road and the Manila Metro Subway. In response, President Marcos expressed his appreciation for Japan's support.
　Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the signing of Exchange of Notes concerning the provision of construction equipment for disaster quick response operation under the economic and social development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and stated that Japan would continue to support the peace process in accordance with its progress. President Marcos expressed his appreciation for Japan's support and contribution to the peace process in Mindanao.
　The two leaders confirmed to pursue the possibility of public-private partnership in infrastructure development together with ODA through the Japan-Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation, and to promote the creation of innovation under collaboration among businesses including through industrial cooperation dialogues, in order to strengthen bilateral economic ties.
　The two leaders concurred to promote cooperation in the areas of the improvement of investment environment, information and telecommunications including Open RAN, smart agriculture, decarbonization and energy including collaboration on the "Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC)" concept. They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on tourism to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in this field as well as the Memorandum of Cooperation on mining that contributes to developing sustainable society.

　Regarding regional affairs, from the viewpoint that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force should never be tolerated, the two leaders shared serious concerns on the situation in the East and South China Seas.
　With regard to the situation in Israel and Palestine, Prime Minister Kishida resolutely condemned the terror attacks by Hamas and others. 　　Prime Minister Kishida also explained Japan’s position that it is vital (i) to immediately release hostages and secure safety of civilians, (ii) for all the parties to act in accordance with international law, (iii) to prevent the instability from spilling over to neighboring countries, (iv) to calm down the situation as soon as possible, and (v) to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
　The two leaders also concurred that they would continue to cooperate in addressing various regional and international challenges such as North Korea.

In the presence of the two leaders, the following documents in relation to bilateral cooperation were exchanged.

1. Exchange of Notes for OSA to the Republic of the Philippines concerning the provision of coastal surveillance radar system
2. Exchange of Notes for ODA to the Republic of the Philippines concerning the provision of construction equipment for disaster quick response operation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
3. Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Tourism Between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan and the Department of Tourism of the Republic of the Philippines
4. Memorandum of Cooperation on Mining Sector Between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Republic of the Philippines

After the Document Exchange Ceremony, the two leaders held a Joint Press Occasion.