Marcos to push for energy security in Japan visit

President Ferdinand "Bonbong" Marcos Jr. said he would discuss matters pertaining to ensuring energy security during his state visit to Japan next week.

In an interview with Japanese media on Monday, Marcos stressed that Japan has provided strong support to the Philippines in trying to find solutions for oil supply disruptions due to the Middle East conflict.

"We will again try to engage Japan and to see how it will work together with Japan, as Japan has now taken a more active role when it comes to the subject of energy and the energy supply," the President said.

"We are actually very grateful to Japan because Japan has been of great assistance to us in trying to find different solutions for the supply of the different kinds of fuel. And that has become a critical part of our policy," he added.

Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos will undertake a state visit to Tokyo from May 26 to 29, 2026, upon the invitation of the Japanese government.

The Philippine President and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae will have a summit where they are expected to discuss the future trajectory of the Philippines and Japan's strengthened strategic partnership.

Marcos said Japan has offered a response mechanism to provide up to US$10 billion in assistance through the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia), which was launched by Takaichi in April.

It seeks to help Asian nations secure crude oil, diversify critical minerals, and build sustainable, zero-emission supply chains to protect economies from Middle East-related supply shocks.

"And we will again try to get more clarity on what the POWERR Asia system that has been proposed by Prime Minister Takaichi. What does it mean in terms of linkages between our different countries, between the Philippines and Japan, and between all of the countries in the region?" Marcos said

"So it is extensively used for supply procurement, for supply chain maintenance, and for crude oil stockpiling capacity augmentation in Asia," he continued. — VDV, GMA News