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| Image: Wiki Commons |
By Prashanth Parameswaran
Japan’s imperial couple will be on a state visit from 26 to 30 January.
Japan’s emperor will make a historic trip to the Philippines later this month, Philippine officials confirmed Tuesday.
Japanese Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko will make a state visit to the Philippines from 26 to 30 January, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement. The trip – the first official visit by a Japanese emperor to the Southeast Asian state – comes as the two countries commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations following the end of World War II.
During the war, the Philippines, then a U.S. colony, was occupied by Japan in 1942 before the country was finally liberated with American assistance in 1945, during which between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Filipinos died. In the decades that followed, Japan and the Philippines have gradually forged a strong bilateral relationship, with ties warming appreciably in 1977 when former Japanese prime minister Takeo Fukuda delivered his famous “Fukuda Doctrine” speech in Manila which heralded Tokyo’s new approach to Southeast Asia (See: “Japan’s ASEAN Charm Offensive”). Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the two strategic partners have been strengthening the defense dimension of their relationship as well amid growing anxiety about Chinese actions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea (See: “Japan, Philippines Declare Strengthened Strategic Partnership”).
Read the full story at The Diplomat