At the State Dinner in his honor hosted by President Aquino at Malacañang, Japan’s Emperor Akihito offered a toast to President Aquino for the “good health and happiness of the Filipino people” and said that Japan must never forget the loss of Filipino lives in World War II.
The 82-year-old Emperor’s last trip to the Philippines was 52 years ago, when he was still Japan’s Crown Prince. This time he came with his wife, Empress Michiko, for a five-day visit which included side trips to the International Rice Research Institute at Los Baños, and to Baguio and Tagaytay. On each of his trips to the Philippines, the Emperor has included a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Fort Bonifacio. “Japan will never forget the loss of Filipino lives during World War II,” he told his audience at the State Dinner. “And I continue to enhance mutual understanding and friendly ties with the Philippines.”
Referring to his earlier visit a half century ago, the Emperor said: “To this day the memory of the warm smiles we received from His Excellency, President Macapagal, and the First Lady, as they stood by our plane when we arrived at Manila Airport and the warm welcome we received from the people of the Philippines remain deep in our hearts.”
The Emperor recalled that the Philippines’ National Hero, Jose Rizal, who spent a month and a half in Japan, and later wrote that he envisioned that the two nations would eventually engage in a full-fledged relationship.
At a private meeting in Malacañang, President Aquino and the Emperor discussed the Emperor’s earlier visit to the Philippines in 1962, when he was still the Crown Prince. They also talked about Japan’s vast automobile sales to the Philippines, and the establishment of Japan’s retail store, Uniqlo, here in Manila.
President Aquino and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario also spoke of the significant increase in the number of visitors from Japan to the Philippines, and from the Philippines to Japan.
Today, Japan is the Philippines’ largest trading partner and its top donor of foreign aid.
This was the first visit by an Emperor of Japan to the Philippines.