President Marcos is set to fly to Japan to attend the ASEAN-JAPAN Commemorative Summit from Dec. 15 to 18, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
‘’This is very important because Japan is one of the first dialogue partners of ASEAN and it’s one of the most dynamic,” DFA Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said during a Palace briefing.
Last February, President Marcos traveled to Japan for a state visit, where he was able to secure 35 investment deals in various sectors.
But Espiritu said there will be no chance for the Reciprocal Access Agreement between the Philippines and Japan, which would allow each country’s armies to land and train on the other’s soil, to be signed during the President’s visit to Tokyo this weekend.
Espiritu said it might be discussed during the bilateral meeting between the Philippines and Japan on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Japan Summit.
“The RAA is more or less a bilateral issue, so it would definitely not be part of the ASEAN agenda… it could be a matter of bilateral discussion between the Philippines and Japan,” he said.
When asked if there will be a chance for both sides to sign the RAA on the sidelines of the summit, Espiritu said: “None at all. Because it is not part of the agenda.”
“An RAA will require a long time to make so I don’t think it could be done in just one sitting,” he said.
“Japan’s participation in ASEAN has covered not only political security matters such as defense and transnational crime and mutual legal assistance but also mutual economic activities, which all helped in community building in ASEAN and also socio-cultural and people-to-people activities,’’ he added.
Espiritu added that the summit would also include discussions of issues in the West Philippine Sea, Myanmar, and North Korea.
President Marcos will also have a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisihda in Tokyo.
“His first official engagement maybe a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, but since the details of these are still being firmed up, I will not yet divulge the details,” Espiritu said.
The President is also expected to participate in a climate change session, during which he is expected to request support for the country’s bid to host the Board of Loss and Damage Fund.
Espiritu stated that Mr. Marcos would also hold meetings with business leaders during the summit and discuss the progress on the pledges and agreements signed during his previous visit.