Duterte leaves for Japan to attend Nikkei conference

President Rodrigo Duterte left yesterday for Japan where he would attend the 25th Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia on May 30-31.
Duterte will be delivering a keynote address on May 31.
He is scheduled to have a business forum, roundtable meeting with Japanese companies and a meeting with the Filipino community.
He will be leaving Japan on Friday night and will arrive in the Philippines on Saturday morning.
In a statement, Malacanang also said that Duterte’s visit would “further deepen the Philippines’ political and economic engagement with its key strategic partner, Japan.” The statement read that his keynote address on Friday would highlight Philippine development goals and accomplishments, foreign policy thrusts, and insights on regional and global developments.
It said that Duterte would hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to “reaffirm the valued friendship between the Philippines and Japan and renew the shared commitment to further strengthen special ties and realise the common goals of Philippines-Japan Strengthened Strategic Partnership.”
“The leaders will review the progress of agreements made in previous meetings. They will also discuss co-operation in infrastructure development, trade and investments, agriculture, labour, defence, maritime security and maritime domain awareness, people-to-people exchanges, and the pursuit of just and lasting peace and progress in Mindanao,” it said.
The statement also said that Duterte would meet with key Japanese industry and tourism leaders at a business forum, which will encourage Japanese private sector investments in the country.
It will also heighten the interest in the Philippines among Japanese tourists.
During Duterte’s visit, the third since taking his oath as president in 2016, the chief executive will meet with the Filipino community in Japan, where he will express his appreciation for its sacrifices and contributions to the country’s socio-economic development as overseas Filipino workers.