President Rodrigo Duterte has invited new Japanese Emperor Naruhito as well as Empress Masako to the Philippines, Malacanang said on Monday.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte conveyed the invitation through Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during their bilateral meeting.

"The President likewise conveyed the best wishes of the Filipino people to Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the throne adding that it would be a great honor for our country to receive Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in the Philippines in the future," he said.

During the bilateral meeting in Tokyo, Duterte told Abe that he looks forward "to personally convey the felicitations of the Filipino people to the Emperor."

Duterte, for the third time, visited Japan last week where he attended a Nikkei conference.

At the sidelines of the conference, he held a bilateral meeting with Abe, their seventh since Duterte assumed office in 2016. Celerina Monte/DMS