On August 17, Hayashi Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a telephone talk with Enrique Manalo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, for about 15 minutes from 10:10 am. The overview of the talk is as follows:

At the outset, Minister Hayashi stated that he would like to strengthen Japan’s cooperation with the Marcos administration toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP),” in a way that suits the Strategic Partnership reaching its eleventh year. In response, Minister Manalo expressed his intention to continue communication on a wide range of agenda and further enhance the bilateral relations, as Japan is an important partner in the region.

In terms of economic cooperation, Minister Hayashi stated his interest in identifying the new scope of cooperation to support the Philippines’ post-pandemic economic recovery and its attainment of upper middle-income status, and the two ministers concurred on continuing close cooperation. In addition, Minister Hayashi expressed his intention to advance cooperation in agriculture, energy transitions, disaster risk reduction, and digital fields. In response, Minister Manalo welcomed such commitment and expressed his appreciation.

On security cooperation, the two ministers affirmed that they would continue to advance coordination toward further enhancement and facilitation of cooperation such as exercises between the Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, among others.

Moreover, the two ministers exchanged views on regional and international issues including Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the East and South China Seas, and that surrounding Taiwan and in Myanmar, and affirmed that they would work together in dealing with these issues. Japan Information and Culture Center