00:00 His Excellency Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan; Madam Kishida Yuko, who will join
00:11 us later; esteemed ministers and officials of both the Philippines and of Japan; distinguished
00:17 guests and fellow government workers, members of the media; ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
00:23 It is my distinct pleasure and honor to welcome His Excellency.
00:28 His Excellency Kishida Fumio, the Prime Minister of Japan, today here at Malacanang Palace.
00:34 His visit marks another important milestone in the strategic partnership between our two
00:40 countries.
00:41 It is a testament to the strong commitment of both countries to further strengthen our
00:46 bilateral relations.
00:48 We are honored by Prime Minister Kishida's return, official visit to the Philippines.
00:55 We had a very productive and insightful discussion that covered many important aspects of our
01:01 bilateral relations and how we can further work together to reach our full potential.
01:09 Our talks have been wide-ranging, covering political, security, defense, trade and investment,
01:16 development, and people-to-people ties.
01:19 These wide-ranging discussions are a manifestation of how robust our bilateral relations have
01:26 become in the last 67 years.
01:29 Our official engagements with Japan have expanded in the past decades to include cooperation
01:35 between and among our Coast Guards as well as our Armed Forces.
01:41 We have gone beyond traditional exchanges and interactions, with Japan participating
01:46 in several humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercises in the Philippines.
01:54 Today key agreements have been signed that will propel the momentum of our bilateral
01:59 relations in the next coming years, building on the joint statement issued on 9 February
02:05 2023 following my official visit to Japan.
02:10 Counting on our active framework of defense and security cooperation, there was an exchange
02:15 of notes on the official security assistance from Japan to the government of the Republic
02:21 of the Philippines.
02:23 This OSA will further enhance the military capacities of our countries, including the
02:28 Philippines, which shares common security concerns with Japan.
02:33 The OSA grant, worth P600 million or around P235 million, will help boost the efforts
02:41 of our Department of National Defense in securing coastal radars for our Armed Forces to enhance
02:48 the maritime domain awareness capability and maritime security.
02:53 I also would like to recall our commitment to work on a framework for our status of visiting
02:59 forces or the proposed Reciprocal Access Agreement, RAA, with Japan.
03:05 We are cognizant of the benefits of having this arrangement, both to our defense and
03:10 military personnel and to maintaining peace and stability in our region.
03:15 We have also signed the exchange of notes on the non-project grant aid for the acquisition
03:20 of construction equipment for road network improvement, implementation, and disaster
03:26 quick response operation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
03:32 This grant, which is worth P957 million or P6 million, will significantly contribute
03:41 to mitigating the impact of flooding aggravated by climate change in the Bangsamoro region.
03:48 To mutually support the promotion of sustainable development of the mining and mineral resources
03:53 sectors to the Philippines and Japan, we have signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on Mining
03:57 Sector between the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources of the Republic of the
04:03 Philippines and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan.
04:09 In the field of tourism between our two countries, we have concluded and signed the Memorandum
04:15 of Cooperation in the field of tourism between the Department of Tourism of the Republic
04:19 of the Philippines and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism.
04:25 As leaders of like-minded states, we affirm our commitment to peaceful negotiations to
04:30 resolve maritime conflicts and the need for a stable and secure environment for mutually
04:36 inclusive growth and development for our peoples.
04:39 We must note with appreciation Japan's commitment to the Philippines, which is manifested by
04:45 its dynamic support of the Philippines' efforts to attain upper middle-income country
04:51 status by 2025 in line with our Philippine Development Plan for 2023 to 2028.
04:59 The Japan-funded Metro Manila Subway Project and the development of the North-South Commuter
05:04 Railway and its extension will secure a reliable, safe, and efficient mass transportation system
05:10 for the entire country.
05:13 Once again, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister and his delegation for
05:20 his fruitful and meaningful visit.
05:23 Thank you very much.
05:24 (END)
05:25 This is an uncorrected transcript.
05:26 For more information on this and other topics, please visit www.fema.gov
05:26 .
05:27 .
05:28 .
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