Senate adopts reso recognizing Phil, Japan enduring friendship

The Senate on Monday, July 31, 2023, adopted a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate in celebrating the friendship between Japan and the Philippines, especially with the Japan-Philippines Parliamentarians Friendship League (JPPL) under the leadership of its president, Honorable Moriyama Hiroshi.

Senate Resolution No. 77 was sponsored by Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri and introduced by all senators.

Zubiri said the Philippines and Japan marked 67 years of diplomatic relations last July 23. He said the relationship between the Philippines and Japan is a prime example of the power of reconciliation and the triumph of friendship.

For the last six decades, Zubiri said both the Philippines and Japan have extensively cooperated in many areas such as trade and investments, infrastructure development, agricultural development, energy cooperation, health promotion, disaster preparedness tourism, as well as people-to-people exchanges, among others.

"Our relations with Japan have blossomed into one of the region's closest relationships which has been truly mutually beneficial for both countries. Japan is our country's second largest trading partner, with bilateral trade with Japan reaching more than $23.5 billion in 2022. This achievement is a result of the Philippines' first bilateral free trade agreement through the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA), which was concurred in the Philippine Senate on Oct. 8, 2008 by then Senate President Manny Villar," Zubiri said.

As the country's top bilateral official development assistance partner, he said Japan's projects in infrastructure development, disaster risk mitigation, food security, health, maritime safety and peace and development in Mindanao have helped create jobs and helped uplift the lives of many Filipinos.

"In this regard, Philippines and Japan are not just ordinary country partners, we are strategic partners who share the principles and aspirations of freedom, democracy and rule of law. In this regard, we are very glad to know that Japan stands with the Philippines in maintaining stable regional order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific," Zubiri said.

He said Japan had reaffirmed its support for the Philippines on numerous occasions and its decisions to uphold the permanent Court of Arbitrations ruling on the South China sea arbitration.

He said the Philippines considers the parliamentary relations with Japan as the most robust and dynamic among international colleagues. Since 1987, he said Filipino and Japanese lawmakers had frequent exchanges and frank and substantive dialogues and discussions through each country's parliamentary friendship associations, the Philippines-Japan Parliamentarians Association (PJPA) and the JPPFL.

"Japan remains a true partner to the Philippines in every essence of the word. As a Mindanaoan, I would always like to express my thanks for the Japanese parliament support, for the development aid to the Philippines that has significantly improved the peace situation and the lives and welfare of our countrymen, especially in my region of Mindanao. It gives me great honor and pleasure to sponsor Senate Resolution No. 703, recognizing the enduring inter-parliamentary friendship between the Philippines and Japan under the leadership of its distinguished president, Honorable Moriyama Hiroshi," Zubiri said.