Japan renews commitment to help PH during disasters, emergencies

The Japanese government has renewed its commitment to support the Philippines during disasters and emergencies.

In a statement, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines said it is pledging closer coordination on emergency response efforts and broader cooperation on environmental initiatives, citing Tokyo’s response to Manila’s request for technical assistance related to firefighting operations, air quality monitoring, and waste management following the Navotas Sanitary Landfill Facility (NSLF) fire incident in April.

“Japan remains committed to standing with the Philippines in strengthening disaster response coordination and advancing environmental cooperation, especially in times of crisis,” said Japan Ambassador Endo Kazuya.

“This cooperation is a manifestation of the stronger and deeper relations between the Philippines and Japan as our two nations commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year,” added Endo.

The embassy said the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) deployed the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Operations, a six-member expert team, to support efforts to fully extinguish the NSLF fire and help restore environmental conditions in the affected area.

Early this month, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. recently announced that the massive landfill fire had been extinguished and expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for its technical assistance during the operation. — BAP, GMA News