The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Friday expressed its full support to help the Philippines’ address its wide-ranging development needs.

This, after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with JICA President Akihiko Tanaka in Tokyo, Japan, where the Filipino leader is on a five-day official visit.

During the meeting, Tanaka reaffirmed the significance of JICA’s cooperation with the Philippines, a long-time ally of Japan, and lauded President Marcos’ recent meetings with Japanese leaders.

“Yesterday I think you had a good conversation with the Prime Minister,” Tanaka told Marcos, referring to the President’s historic bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

JICA also hailed the signing of loan agreements with the Philippines to provide Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans for the North-South Commuter Railway Project (Malolos – Tutuban) II and the North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project II.

“And then we’re now ready on proceeding… [and all] other important projects, and we will do our best,” said Tanaka.

President Marcos said Japan serves as a top partner in “many of these important undertakings.”

“In behalf of my family, in behalf of my countrymen, we would like to thank you and we look forward [to] a continuing partnership in the future,” Marcos said.

“Of course the transfer of technologies can help our countries… and this [brings us] to a new area of partnership,” the President told the JICA president.

JICA serves as the world’s biggest bilateral aid agency, with presence in over 150 countries and regions, and has some 90 overseas offices worldwide.

It is also a top Philippine partner in socioeconomic development. #