Marcos off to Japan for Asean-Japan summit

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

President Marcos leaves for Japan this weekend to participate in the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-Japan relations, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu of the DFA-Office of Asean Affairs said Mr. Marcos will depart for Tokyo on Friday, bringing along first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Also part of the delegation are Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, and Presidential Adviser on Investments and Economic Affairs Frederick Go, as well as other senior trade and foreign affairs officials.

Espritu said there might be a bilateral meeting between Mr. Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which will be the President’s first official engagement in Japan.

On Saturday, Mr. Marcos will attend a dinner hosted by Kishida at the Akasaka Palace or the State Guest House on Saturday, which will be Mr. Marcos’ first official Asean engagement.

The summit proper will take place on Sunday in which leaders are expected to review Asean-Japan relations and discuss cooperation activities as well as international and regional developments in the South China and East China Seas, Myanmar, and North Korea.

Asia Zero Emission meet

There are two more sessions—people-to-people activities pertaining to student and youth exchanges, art and cultural cooperation and sports cooperation; and the Asean-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership in which leaders will talk about trade and investment, supply chain, connectivity and infrastructure, and food and energy security.

On Sunday, the President will also participate in the Asia Zero Emission Community meeting in which the efforts on lowering carbon gas emissions into the atmosphere and items in the recent United Nations climate change conference in Dubai are expected to be discussed.

On Monday, there will be the signing of new business agreements and business meetings to be led by the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as a roundtable discussion on the status of the pledges and agreements signed during the President’s visit to Japan last February.

‘Strategic partner’

An audience with the Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako is also being arranged on Monday for the Asean leaders, Espiritu said.

The DFA official said the President’s attendance at the gathering is important since Japan is one of the first dialogue partners of Asean and it is “one of the most dynamic [partners].”

“It’s a supporter of the Asean outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which is the Asean version of the Indo-Pacific concept, focusing not only on security but more on economics and climate action,” he said.

“And then, it also very much embedded in the economic framework of Asean, because we have this Asean-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership and we also have an Asean free trade agreement with Japan,” he added.

Espiritu said that Japan’s participation in Asean has covered not only security matters such as defense, transnational crime and mutual legal assistance, but also mutual economic activities and cultural and people-to-people activities.

Another objective of the summit is to recognize Japan as “a comprehensive strategic partner,” which was earlier declared in the last Asean summit in Jakarta. INQ