In a strategic move to reinforce a multi-faceted partnership between the two countries, His Excellency Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan, will undertake an official visit to the Philippines on 29-30 April 2025.
According to the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will welcome Prime Minister Ishiba and his spouse, Mrs. Ishiba Yoshiko, in official engagements at Malacañan Palace on 29 April 2025.
The meeting of President Marcos and Prime Minister Ishiba will aim to deepen and improve economic and development cooperation, political and defense engagements, and people-to-people exchanges.
The official visit reflects shared concerns over regional security challenges posed by China and a mutual interest in maintaining stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Both leaders are also expected to exchange views on regional and global developments, and explore new pathways towards peace and stability under the “Strengthened Strategic Partnership” between the two countries.
The two leaders last met in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic on the sidelines of ASEAN Summits in October 2024.
The exchange of high-level visits is a main feature of Philippines-Japan relations. It may be recalled that President Marcos undertook an official visit to Japan in February 2023, which was returned by Japan’s then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in an official visit in November 2023.
The visit is set against the backdrop of China’s growing military assertiveness and territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
Both Japan and the Philippines, as U.S. treaty allies, are working closely to counterbalance China’s influence and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. This includes expanding defense ties not only bilaterally but also in coordination with the United States and other like-minded countries.
The visit also highlights Japan’s commitment to supporting the Philippines not only economically but also in defense modernization, including the provision of coastal surveillance radars and other security equipment under Japan’s official security assistance framework established in 2023.
