The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returned to the Philippines Friday evening after what he described as a "very constructive and highly productive" state visit to Japan. The plane carrying the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and the entire delegation landed at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City at 6:19 p.m. Speaking to reporters before flying back to Manila, Marcos reported that his four-day state visit to Japan generated about $3.4 billion in investment pledges. During the visit, the President said he had “very fruitful” meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which included discussions on the start of negotiations for military information sharing and maritime boundary delimitation talks. "Bound by shared values and common aspirations, we agreed to elevate our relationship from a strengthened strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership," Marcos said. "This reflects how our cooperation has grown not only stronger but deeper and broader, not only across the traditional areas of security, maritime and defense cooperation, trade and investment, but also across new frontiers critical to our future, such as energy security, supply chain resilience, decarbonization, artificial intelligence, and space cooperation," he added. Marcos’ visit to Japan also paved the way for the signing of several agreements, including a deal on the avoidance of double taxation, as well as cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, health services and human resource development. The President also said that Japanese firms signaled additional investment plans worth P56.3 billion for expansion projects covering key sectors such as semiconductor, advanced electronics, precision manufacturing, and shipbuilding. The expansion plans, he said, were expected to generate around 10,300 direct and indirect jobs for Filipinos. Marcos said major Japanese firms such as Furukawa Electric Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Industries, MinebeaMitsumi Inc., and Tsuneishi Group Corporation remained confident in the Philippine economy and its long-term growth prospects. "I suppose the way we could describe it is that we have aspirations to become a hub in Asia," the President said. "Because as I keep reminding our potential investors, the Philippines is only four hours away from every major capital in Asia, and that puts us geographically at the center of Asia," he added. The President also expressed appreciation for the “warm” welcome extended to him by Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. He also met with members of the Filipino community in Japan, estimated at around 33,000, thanking them for their contributions to both countries’ economies. "I commended their invaluable contributions to nation building and assured them that their welfare remains an enormous and a high priority of the government. Their hard work and dedication continue to strengthen the bond between our two countries," Marcos said.
Go to News Site