Duterte leaves Tuesday noon for three-day official visit to Japan
President Rodrigo Duterte will leave Tuesday for a three-day official visit to Japan.
A Palace advisory states Duterte is scheduled to leave around 12 noon from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
He is expected to discuss with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the economy and other issues in his visit from October 25 to 27.
"President Duterte will be discussing security, economic and defense issues with their Prime Mister during the three-day trip that is seen to continue the Philippines, efforts to bolster strategic partnership with its Asian neighbors," Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Ernesto Abella said in a press conference on Monday.
Abella said while the main agenda is more of economic, the territorial disputes might also come up.
"The main agenda will be more not political but economic. So if it’s referred to, it will be on the sidelines," said Abella.
Duterte plans to observe Japan's ship building process as maritime cooperation between the two nations prospers.
Duterte last Friday said he is not discounting the possibility territorial disputes of countries with China at the South China Sea will be discussed.
"I would tell your (prime) minister that we can only agree to talk peacefully, resolve the dispute and maybe come up with something that is good for everybody," Duterte said in response to the query from a Japanese journalist if the disputes would be taken up.
"Since I have to talk to (Prime) minister (Shinzo) Abe, I cannot make projections of
what will happen." Emmanuel Tupas/DMS
