This is going to be exciting, to say the least.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s official visit to Japan will be from Oct 25 to 27.
GMA News Online quoted a statement released by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, which revealed, “During his stay in Japan, the President will make a State Call on His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, will also hold a meeting with the President and host a dinner in his honor.”
“The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of the President and hopes the visit will further strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and the Republic of Philippines,” the statement added.
The trip will be President Duterte’s first visit to Japan as President.
Duterte and Abe recently met at the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations summit held in Laos this September.
According to GMA News Online, government officials tentatively scheduled Duterte’s travel to Japan ahead of China, but the original itinerary was changed for unspecified reasons, which government sources acknowledged had disappointed Japanese officials.
Duterte is to be in Brunei on Oct 16 to 18 before flying to Xiamen, China on the evening of Oct 18. The audience with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, is set for Oct 20 in Beijing, before he is to fly back to Manila on Oct. 21.
