MANILA— Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has offered Tokyo assistance following the 6.1-magnitude earthquake on June 18.
The offer was made during his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono before the 5th Meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation (JCM) in Tokyo last June 20, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.
“At the onset of the meeting, Secretary Cayetano conveyed his sympathies to Foreign Minister Kono on the earthquake that hit Kansai region on 18 June and, assured the latter of the readiness of the Philippines to assist, same as Japan being consistently ready to help the Philippines during calamities,” Ambassador to Tokyo Jose Laurel V said.
The earthquake that struck western Japan left at least three people killed and more than a hundred injured.
Meanwhile, in reaffirming the strong bilateral relations of the two states, the two officials also discussed the “dynamic and collaborative” partnership between Tokyo and Manila in the areas of social security, infrastructure development, defense, and security as well as in counter-terrorism.
To recall, the two countries exchanged diplomatic notes on a social security agreement expected to take effect this August.
During the meeting, Cayetano and Kono also discussed regional concerns, including developments in the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.
Laurel said they are optimistic of the recent summit between United States President Donald Trump and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.
The envoy said both agreed to continue cooperation in establishing a “stable and peaceful” Indo-Pacific region.
Laurel added the Japanese foreign minister also thanked Manila for the expeditious signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the collection of the remains of Japanese soldiers who were killed in the Philippines during the World War II.
The meeting between Cayetano and Kono came a week after the holding of the 4th Philippines-Japan Vice Ministerial Strategic Dialogue – an annual bilateral consultative mechanism between the two countries. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)
