Effects of Japan visit to be felt very soon, very rapidly –Marcos

TOKYO — The social and economic benefits resulting from his five-day official visit to Japan will be felt by Filipinos momentarily, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Saturday.

In a video message posted on his Instagram page, Marcos said, “We are beginning to come to the conclusion of our visit here.”

“The official visit that we have made, of the Philippine delegation to Japan... and it has been a very, very productive visit,” the President said.

The Philippine delegation raked in 35 investment pledges spanning business interests in infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, among others.

GMA Integrated News' Ian Cruz reported that, according to Department of Trade and Industry tracking, investment pledges stemming from the Japan visit had reached $10 billion.

“I think that we will be able to feel the effects of these discussions, of these agreements very, very soon, very rapidly back home in the Philippines,” the chief executive said.

Marcos is in Japan for a five day official visit - from February 8 to 12, 2023.

“It’s a particularly important visit because it is really setting down a blueprint for our relations as we slowly emerge from the pandemic economy,” he said.

The President said the deals sealed by the Philippine delegation - top executive and legislature officials and business leaders - “cut across the whole gamut.”

“We are talking about agriculture, we are talking about digitalization, we are talking about industry, we are talking about automotive development, we are talking about energy, even education, tourism.

"We have discussed great many subjects,” Marcos said.

“And we found that with the leadership of Prime Minister Kishida that the Japanese government and also Japanese private sector have been very open in our discussion for the plans to help increase the development of our country, in terms of again, those areas — in infrastructure, digitalization, agriculture, some of the traditional areas with which we had always dealt with Japan. But some new areas, areas such as security and defense and also the mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change,” he said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News