Your Excellency Prime Minister Ishiba of Japan and the delegation from Japan.

Thank you for accepting my invitation to visit the Philippines.

It is my pleasure to see you in Manila after our very quick briefing in Laos last October on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

Your timely visit highlights the stability, harmony, mutual respect, and immense benefit that we bring to each other. Signs that we are indeed in the golden age of our relations. Significant as we mark the 10th year of our strengthened strategic partnership.

I fondly recall my official visit to Tokyo in 2023 where I had the opportunity to meet with Their Majesties – the Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. And I hope that our engagements can be renewed.

Next year we will celebrate a milestone 70th year of the normalization of our diplomatic ties. The fruits of seven decades of engagement attest to a deeply meaningful relationship where our two peoples feel the benefit of our diplomacy.

But this is also where we lay the groundwork for the future – as we look at seven decades of our shared history to lay the groundwork for a resonant and inspiring future where we engage across all sectors.

Thus, I am looking forward to our talks today spanning economic cooperation and development, strong people-to-people ties, and defense and security relationships.

I hope our discussions today will further help us in our common pursuit of peace, security, and prosperity for all.

I congratulate Japan for the successful opening of the Expo 2025 Osaka. We are excited and proud to be part of this Expo. The Philippine Pavilion focuses on nature, culture, and community to showcase the creation of a sustainable future.

Thank you, Your Excellency. I look forward to our productive discussions.

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