Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told reporters yesterday that he would try not to use profane language when he meets with Japan’s revered Emperor Akihito this week following previous concerns in Tokyo that the profanity-prone leader would spark diplomatic tensions.
Duterte said he would have an audience with the 83-year-old Akihito — a popular and respected figure in Japan — during his two-day visit to Tokyo.
A scheduled meeting last year was cancelled following a death in the imperial family.
Another meeting in China last year had put Japanese officials on faux pas alert after Duterte was seen chewing gum in front of President Xi Jinping in a video. Chewing gum is considered rude in Japan for formal occasions.
“I suppose that I have to limit my mouth there except maybe to bring the warm greetings of the Filipino nation, a grateful nation to Japan,” Duterte told reporters before departing for Tokyo on Sunday night.
“It’s a kind of a homage to see the emperor before he abdicates,” Duterte added, referring to Akihito’s plan to retire after nearly three decades on the throne.
The acid-tongued Duterte often curses critics, including former US President Barack Obama, and is known to shun formal protocols.
Since winning elections last year, Duterte has sought to boost the Philippines’ ties with Japan, its top foreign aid donor and second largest trading partner in 2016 after China.
That comes as he loosens the country’s 70-year alliance with the United States in favour of closer relations with China and Russia.
On his second trip to Tokyo, Duterte said he would ask for Japanese aid in rebuilding the southern Philippine city of Marawi following a five-month battle against militants loyal to the Islamic State group which left the city in ruins.
Duterte will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before hosting a regional summit in Manila next month to be attended by Asia-Pacific leaders and US President Donald Trump.
