We are saddened by recent news that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close friend of President Rodrigo Duterte, has decided to resign from his post due to his health issues.

Throughout Prime Minister Abe’s tenure, we saw a robust furtherance of the holistic relations between the Philippines and Japan. With that, Japan has continued to maintain itself as an important and trusted ally of the Philippines not only in our mutual socio-economic prosperity, but also towards the promotion of a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

Japan’s support to our country, under Prime Minister Abe, has been truly apparent in the assistance it provides for the Duterte administration’s campaigns on poverty alleviation, peace and security, infrastructure, and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan has never wavered in providing aid to our country despite the fact that it has also weathered challenges such as a devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident in 2011.

We remain optimistic that our relations with Japan will continue to flourish and deepen, even though Prime Minister Abe has decided to vacate his post.

We would like to extend our prayers and support to Prime Minister Abe and his family for his speedy recovery.

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