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Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori Visits the Republic of the Philippines

Japanese

May 7, 2026

External Economic Policy

From Thursday, April 30, to Saturday, May 2, 2026, Mr. Komori Takuo, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, visited Manila, the Republic of the Philippines. He exchanged views with local stakeholders and visited local sites to promote the program jointly launched on April 10 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to support 10,000 Japanese food exporters and accelerate initiatives to expand exports of Japanese agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products and foods. Alongside Mr. Kishida Fumio, Special Envoy of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and other members of the Parliamentary Association of Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori also exchanged opinions with H.E. Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr., President of the Philippines, and Ms. Sharon S. Garin, Secretary of the country’s Department of Energy, and visited the Batangas Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal.

1. A visit to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Manila office

Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori visited JETRO Manila to exchange views on the export status of Japanese food products to the Philippines, their local commercial distribution, and the challenges that must be addressed to expand exports.

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2. Exchange of views with local retailers and site visits

Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori visited local retailers of food and other products imported from Japan and discussed local needs for Japanese products, their sales performance, and challenges in expanding the market.

(1) The Marketplace

At The Marketplace, an upscale supermarket that carries strawberries produced in Japan, he observed the sales trends of Japanese products.

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(2) MITSUKOSHI BGC

He visited MITSUKOSHI BGC, a commercial facility operated by Mitsukoshi, toured the supermarket within the facility, and exchanged views with the facility staff and with a local importer and retailer of Japanese strawberries (Sawada Ichigo Cafe) on local demand for Japanese products and their sales trends, as well as challenges in expanding sales of products imported from Japan.

3. Exchange of views on energy

In view of the AZEC Leaders Meeting scheduled for November this year and the current situation in the Middle East, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori, along with members of the Parliamentary Association of AZEC, including Special Envoy Kishida, held discussions with President Marcos and Energy Secretary Garin of the Philippines, which is the ASEAN chair for 2026, on various matters, including strengthening AZEC’s functions. They concurred that Japan and the Philippines will work to reinforce their bilateral relationship.

4. Visit to the Batangas LNG Terminal and exchange of views with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council

Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori, along with Special Envoy Kishida and other members of the Parliamentary Association of AZEC, visited the Batangas LNG Terminal, which is jointly operated by Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. and Philippine companies.

The Philippines is promoting the use of LNG as part of its energy transition, and this facility exemplifies the bilateral cooperation between Japan and the Philippines under AZEC. Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komori and members of the Parliamentary Association of AZEC exchanged views with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council. The active discussion focused on deepening Japan-ASEAN relations, including support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and the promotion of entrepreneurship and start-ups.

In addition, during his stay in the Philippines, Mr. Komori, along with members of the Parliamentary Association of AZEC, exchanged views with Japanese companies operating in the country.

 

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