In his remarks at the opening event of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Year at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Shiozaki said the two countries have enjoyed a relationship based on the principle of mutual confidence and trust and have mutually fostered friendly relations for almost three decades.
"Our cooperation and collaboration have gone beyond a simple bilateral basis and have expanded to include significant multilateral dimensions. I look forward to our two countries playing an important role in the region when the Philippines assumes the chairmanship of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) this July," Shiozaki said.
Manila and Tokyo commemorate this year the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Philippines-Japan diplomatic relations.
He cited the "Fukuda Doctrine" of former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, who delivered an epoch-making speech and set out a basic philosophical framework for Japan’s relationship with the ASEAN.
One of the principles which constitute the basic philosophical framework Fukuda stated in his speech is that Japan, as a true friend of the countries of Southeast Asia, would do its best to consolidate the relationship of mutual confidence and trust based on "heart-to-heart" communication.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said last month that Japan has interacted with the other countries in Asia as true neighboring partners and has consolidated relationships and developed partnerships on an equal footing.
Aso also stressed that Japan is indeed a country working towards creating a peer-to-peer relationship in the truest sense with its Asian neighbors.
According to Shiozaki, the number of Filipinos living in Japan is larger than that of any other group of ASEAN nationals. The number of Filipinos visiting Japan is also the largest.
The Philippines also ranked as the top recipient of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) on a per capita basis, with the cumulative amount of Japan’s ODA totaling more than $9 billion over the past two decades.
The Japanese government has also contributed to the CCP through its cultural grants. — Pia Lee-Brago