By Robina Asido

Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism will visit the Philippines on Sunday prior to the arrival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday.

The official visit of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism Nakano Hiromasa from April 27 to 28 was announced by Ambassador of Japan in the Philippines Endo Kazuya in a statement on Friday.

Nakano will be the third Japanese minister visiting the country this year following Minister of Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi in January and Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen the following month.

Endo said "consecutive visits by the Prime Minister and other Ministers are a testament to the importance that Japan places on its relationship with the Philippines."

Ishiba, who will be in the country for an official visit from April 29 to 30, will discuss various matters with President Ferndinand Marcos Jr., including national security cooperation and maritime law enforcement cooperation.

"These include the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement, signed during the 2+2 Meeting last July 2024 and currently being prepared to enter into force, the transfer of air surveillance radar systems, and the Official Security Assistance extended by Japan to the Philippines. To further these cooperative aspects, we look forward to opportunities to deepen collaborations in such areas as logistics and information," he said.

"This visit of Prime Minister Ishiba comes at an immensely fortunate time, with our countries celebrating the 70th anniversary of the normalization of relations next year. I firmly believe that this visit will further strengthen the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines," he added.

Endo said "the topic of international affairs will also be discussed, especially since cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in achieving a Free and Open Indo-Pacific has grown it's importance in recent years."

"The discussions will further promote our security and defense cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen rules-based international order and enhance collaborations on various matters.?To this day, Japan and the Philippines have seized various opportunities as maritime nations and strategic partners who share the same fundamental values and principles," he said.

"Against the backdrop of the latest global development of trade issues, it is important for us to exchange views on this matter accordingly. I believe that Japan and the Philippines, both sharing the same values, should continue to cooperate for strengthening the global economy based on the multilateral trading system," he added. DMS