Secretary Manalo, FM Hayashi Cite Strong PH-Japan Ties in Tokyo Meeting

TOKYO, 16 May 2023 – Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo met his Japanese counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs HAYASHI Yoshimasa on the sidelines of the Munich Leaders Meeting 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.

The two Ministers exchanged updates on matters discussed during the visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to Japan in February 2023, including economic, people-to-people and maritime security relations.

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and preserving the rules-based order and good governance. They also discussed ASEAN centrality, and the need to support institutions and mechanisms like the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. 

Secretary Manalo also highlighted potentials in expanding bilateral collaboration on digital connectivity, cyberspace, outer space, clean energy, and green minerals.

Secretary Manalo cited Japan’s assistance to the coastal province of Mindoro after the recent oil spill, as a manifestation of Japan’s reliability and steadfastness as a partner of the Philippines. He also expressed support for Japan’s G7 Presidency this year and its approach to promoting inclusivity and the interests of the Indo-Pacific and developing states in G7 Summit discussions this weekend in Hiroshima.

In remarks delivered earlier before the National Graduate Research Institute on Policy Studies, Secretary Manalo recalled the words of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Japan being “a close neighbor, like-minded and future-oriented like (the Philippines) in many ways, and a most reliable partner in times of both crises and of prosperity.” END