Home > News > The Prime Minister in Action > October 2017 > Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting and Other Events
The Prime Minister in Action
Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting and Other Events
October 30, 2017
[Provisional Translation]
On October 30, 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit meeting and other events with H.E. Mr. Rodrigo R. Duterte, President of the Philippines, at the Prime Minister's Office.
The two leaders attended a salute and guard of honor ceremony, and then held a summit meeting. Thereafter, the leaders held a signing ceremony and a joint press announcement.
Lastly, the Prime Minister hosted a banquet at the Prime Minister's Official Residence and said in his address,
“I would like to thank President Duterte for inviting my wife Akie and me to his home in Davao when I visited the Philippines in January. I was overjoyed to have the chance to deepen the relationship between our two families.
When I went to Davao, I was also greatly moved by the warm welcome I received from students at a university I visited. We uploaded a video of that visit on the Prime Minister’s Office’s Facebook page, and it received a tremendous amount of views, over 1.3 million in fact. Approximately 90% of the people that viewed the video did so from the Philippines. I encourage people from Japan to view it as well.
I believe this demonstrates how Japan and the Philippines enjoy a deep and warm relationship akin to that of a family or siblings.
I wish to once again express my heartfelt gratitude to President Duterte for taking the time to visit Japan despite his busy schedule, just two weeks prior to his hosting of the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings.
I will spare no effort in supporting President Duterte, who will chair these meetings, to ensure their success.
We have invited leaders from many different places to today’s banquet, all of whom are supporting these kinds of invaluable cordial relations between our two countries in a variety of different fields, including politics, the economy, and culture.
It is thanks to the efforts of all the people present that Japan and the Philippines today share such excellent relations. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your contributions, and to ask for your continued assistance for the further development of these relations.
Let us now offer a toast to the good health and happiness of President Duterte and all the distinguished guests here tonight, and to a further deepening of the relationships of friendship and cooperation linking the people of Japan and the Philippines. Mabuhay!”