PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. concluded his four-day State Visit to Japan, from May 26 to 29, 2026, and described it as “highly productive and constructive,” securing major economic, strategic and diplomatic gains that further strengthened the Philippines’ partnership with one of its closest allies in the region.
On his address to members of the Philippine media delegation before returning home from Tokyo, Marcos said the visit – which he took with First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and a delegation of government officials and business leaders – further strengthened the longstanding partnership between the Philippines and Japan, as reported by the Presidential Communications Office.
Japan and the Philippines mark 70 years of diplomatic relations this year.
“It has been a very constructive and highly productive visit, considering that it’s just for about three days, and yet in that little time, we were able to do a great deal,” the President said during his regular “Kapihan with the Media.” Marcos said the timing of the State Visit was particularly meaningful as it provided an opportunity not only to reflect on seven decades of friendship between the two nations, but also to chart the future of bilateral relations.
Meeting the Emperor, Prime Minister One of the highlights of the visit was the President’s Imperial Audience with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, which reaffirmed the enduring friendship and goodwill between Filipino and Japanese peoples.
The President also held extensive discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, where both leaders agreed to elevate Philippines-Japan relations from a strengthened strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Marcos said the elevated partnership reflects the growing depth and breadth of cooperation between the two countries across traditional and emerging sectors.
“This reflects how our cooperation has grown not only stronger but deeper and broader,” the President said.
Aside from security, maritime and defense cooperation, trade and investment, the two countries also agreed to deepen collaboration in new and strategic areas such as energy security, supply chain resilience, decarbonization, artificial intelligence and space cooperation.
President Marcos and Prime Minister Takaichi also exchanged views on pressing regional and global issues, including developments in the South China Sea and the Middle East, particularly their implications on regional stability and energy security.
The two leaders likewise reaffirmed their commitment to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) unity and centrality, while Japan expressed support for the Philippines’ candidature to the United Nations Security Council, although the Philippines failed to secure the seat.
During the visit, the Philippines and Japan signed several key agreements, including a landmark agreement on the avoidance of double taxation aimed at improving the business environment and encouraging greater cross-border investments.
Additional agreements covering agriculture and fisheries, health services and human resource development were also signed.
In a significant development in defense and security cooperation, the Philippines and Japan formally announced the commencement of negotiations for a General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA and maritime boundary delimitation.
“These initiatives will support our shared goals of security, economic growth and resilience,” Marcos said.
The President also underscored the substantial economic gains generated during the visit through meetings with Japanese business leaders and major corporations engaged in strategic and future-oriented industries.
Through a newly developed strategic engagement format, Marcos met with some of Japan’s most influential business leaders representing sectors such as banking, infrastructure, aviation, manufacturing, telecommunications, mobility, renewable energy, healthcare, artificial intelligence, fintech, digital technology, tourism and retail.
These engagements resulted in approximately US$3.4 billion worth of investment pledges, pipeline opportunities, financial support facilities and tourism-related flagship investment prospects.
President Marcos also held separate meetings with executives of Furukawa Electric Corp., Sumitomo Electric Industries, MinebeaMitsumi Inc. and Tsuneishi Group Corp.
The companies presented expansion plans in the Philippines amounting to around P56.3 billion across semiconductor, advanced electronics, precision manufacturing and shipbuilding industries.
These investments are expected to generate approximately 10,300 direct and indirect jobs for Filipinos.
“These engagements reaffirmed strong confidence in the Philippine economy and opened new opportunities for investments that will benefit our people,” the President said.
PH as hub in Asia Marcos also met with members of the Filipino community in Japan, where he recognized the contributions of the estimated 330,000 Filipinos living and working there.
The President assured overseas Filipinos that their welfare remains a top priority of his administration.
“Their hard work and dedication continue to strengthen the bond between our two countries,” the President said.
Marcos emphasized that Japan remains one of the Philippines’ most trusted partners and expressed confidence that the newly elevated Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would further deepen bilateral cooperation and bring meaningful benefits to both Filipinos and Japanese.
“As our relations with Japan reached new heights under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, I am confident that our cooperation will continue to deepen and broaden and will open new frontiers for the benefit of both our peoples,” President Marcos said.
The billions of pesos worth of investment commitments secured during his State Visit to Japan will support the Philippines’ goal of becoming a hub in Asia for high-tech industries, manufacturing and shipbuilding, the President said.
Many of the agreements forged with Japanese companies focus on industries that create jobs and prepare the country for future economic opportunities.
“Well, the very first, I suppose, the way we could describe it is that we have aspirations to become a hub in Asia,” the President said.
“Because as I keep reminding our potential investors, the Philippines is only four hours away from every major capital in Asia, and that puts us geographically at the center of Asia,” he added.
Marcos said the discussions also covered battery production, artificial intelligence and power generation needed to support the country’s growing data center industry.
The President also highlighted the importance of shipbuilding investments, particularly those involving Japanese shipbuilder Tsuneishi.
“It’s Tsuneishi with their investments will continue to produce the number of vessels that they do, they will bring us again to one of the top shipbuilding countries in the world,” Marcos shared.
“Japan is a world leader when it comes to these technologies and to these strategies, and we have a lot to learn from them,” the President said.
Building an intelligent city Top executives from the Ayala Group and several major Japanese corporations signed a series of agreements during the State Visit to develop smart city infrastructure, expand mobile banking, and build data-driven digital networks in the Philippines and were witnessed by the chief executive.
Under the agreements, Ayala Corp., Globe Telecom, and GCash parent firm Mynt will partner with Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (MUFG), and telecommunications giant KDDI Corp.
A central piece of the partnership focuses on an “Intelligent City” project, which will roll out first in Makati. The initiative intends to use artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and advanced data platforms to improve urban management. Globe will provide the network infrastructure to support the technology, targeting improvements in local transit, retail operations, energy distribution, and public works.
The cross-border alliance also aims to improve financial inclusion in the Philippines by combining the networks of Ayala, MUFG, and Mitsubishi. The companies plan to integrate their business platforms, introduce new digital banking services, and create international commercial opportunities for local consumers.
Ayala Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Cezar Consing said the projects rely on technology and infrastructure to support long-term economic growth. Consing noted that the collaboration aims to build more connected urban centers while widening access to the digital economy for Filipino citizens.
PH-Japan security and disaster preparedness President Marcos said that the strengthened information sharing agreement between the Philippines and Japan is a great help to the security of the Philippines and disaster preparedness.
According to him, the cooperation between the Philippines and Japan includes the exchange of important information on weather forecasting, satellite data, smart cities and other technologies that can help the country.
“We reinforced our continued commitment to the rule of law, to international law, to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” President Marcos said.
He also clarified that the scope of information sharing between the Philippines and Japan is not limited to military intelligence.
“We’re talking about weather, smart cities and satellite information that Japan has that we do not,” said the President, as Japan’s weather and satellite information can help to further strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness and agricultural productivity.
“Weather sharing is also very important for weather forecasting because Japan is already very good at meteorology,” the President said.
The President added that this is important so that the country can better prepare for typhoons, heavy rains and the effects of El Niño, especially to protect farmers and ensure the country’s sufficient food supply.