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President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. received Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi during a courtesy call at Malacañang Palace.
The meeting underscored the continued strengthening of the strategic partnership and defense cooperation between the Philippines and Japan, according to the Presidential Communications Office.
The Japanese official’s visit on Tuesday coincided with Japan’s participation in Exercise Balikatan 41-2026, in which 1,400 personnel of the Japan Self-Defense Forces joined during the expanded multilateral drills alongside Filipino and American troops.
Marcos then welcomed the participation of Japanese forces in the military exercises.
“It is a very, very good signal for the solidarity [and] the exercises have been going very well,” Marcos said.
Present during the courtesy call were Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Oban Jr., and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary for Strategic Media Campaigns Ramon Ilagan.
Joining Minister Shinjiro Koizumi were Japan Ambassador Endo Kazuya, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Admiral Saito Akira, Ministry of Defense – Bureau of Defense Policy Director General Mannami Manabu, and Director General for International Affairs Arima Takanori.
The officials also discussed Marcos’ upcoming state visit to Japan later this month, which would highlight the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between Manila and Tokyo. —VAL, GMA News
