QUEZON CITY (PIA ) -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is set to visit Japan on February 8 to 12, 2023 upon the invitation of Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The official working visit is expected to reaffirm the strong and vibrant relations between the two countries.

During a pre-departure briefing, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Neal Imperial of the Office of Asian and Pacific says the Philippines and Japan are set to sign seven key bilateral agreements covering cooperation in infrastructure development, defense, agriculture, and information and communications technology.

One of the expected agreements to be signed is the umbrella terms of reference on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Cooperation. This will be signed by the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Ministry of Defense of Japan.

 “Japan has been a very important partner in providing assistance in relation to disaster relief. We certainly welcome this agreement once it’s signed,” DFA Assistant Secretary Imperial said.

This will be the first visit of the President to Japan since taking office. He will be joined by  First Lady Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Secretary Cheloy Garafil and other cabinet officials.  (KSAA – PIA CPSD)