JUNE 2 — The meeting between President Benigno S. Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will center on concerns about the South China Sea and other bilateral issues, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez said here Sunday.
President Aquino is due to arrive here on Tuesday for a four-day state visit.
“Surely, first and foremost will be the South China Sea issue because that is something that is quite sensitive to both Japan and the Philippines,” Ambassador Lopez said during an interview with Radio TV Malacañang (RTVM), when asked about the main topics to be discussed by the two leaders.
The President, he said, will definitely thank Japan’s government, corporations and individuals for their assistance to the Philippines, not only through the Official Development Assistance (ODA), but also for their donations in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
“Japan is probably our biggest donor country. It was really generous in helping the victims of Yolanda,” Lopez said.
The President will also thank Prime Minister Abe for easing the visa requirements for Filipino tourists to Japan.
A lot of Filipinos are now visiting Japan as a result of the relaxation of the visa requirements, Lopez said.
The relationship between the two countries is at its strongest at this time, with President Aquino and Prime Minister Abe having good vibes with each other, the envoy said.
“In the four-and-a-half years that I have been here, I have seen the steady progress of this relationship. And I believe that it will continue to grow under the presidency of President Aquino and Prime Minister Abe,” he said.
Lopez said the Philippines should be grateful because President Aquino was given the opportunity to make a state visit to Japan, considering the long list of world leaders who want to make an official visit to the country.
He explained that Japan only welcomes two state visitors a year and many world leaders have been waiting for years.
“This is just very timely because this is the last year of President Aquino in his term and it would only be a fitting invitation, since his late mother, President Cory Aquino, was invited also as a state visitor back in 1986,” he added. PND (as) (Tokyo, Japan)