Strengthening Ties of Friendship and Collaboration: Japan Ambassador visits Davao City

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Endo Kazuya, alongside his wife Mme. Endo Akiko and embassy officials paid a courtesy call to Davao City Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte on January 28 at City Hall. The visit reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with Davao City.

In his message, Ambassador Endo said that Davao City was his first official trip outside of Manila this year, and he was delighted to see some of the well-established projects and engagements between Davao City and Japan. 

Ambassador Endo highlighted key areas of collaboration, including the Davao Bypass Construction, the Metro Davao Master Plan, and the Waste-to-Energy project. He also underscored Davao’s historical ties with Japan, dating back over 120 years, and expressed appreciation for the city’s support of the Japanese community, including business leaders and the Nikkei Jin.

Ambassador Kazuya emphasized that the city is a good place to start his service for the year, as it showcases the long-term friendship between Japan and the Philippines.

“More than 120 years ago, many Japanese migrated to Davao for abaca production. The overseas Japanese workers were looking for a place to find work, and it was in Davao City that provided ample job opportunities for them to be employed,” he added.

He also highlighted that it’s pivotal to strengthen the ties between the two nations and the continuous support of the local government to the Japanese community within the area, particularly the businessmen and the Nikkei Jin community.

“Davao City also has several sister city relationships with Japan including Kitakyushu, Sennan, and Hamamatsu. Our embassy is also very much happy to consolidate our connections with your sister cities,” he said.

In the same way, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte said aside from the long-term friendship and collaboration between the two, Davao City has always seen Japan as a role model, especially in terms of its development in infrastructure and socio-economic aspects. 

“We would like to emulate the same good things which are happening in Japan right now. I think Dabawenyos can learn a lot from the Japanese people, especially in terms of how you cultivate your people into well-mannered and disciplined people in society,” Mayor Duterte said.

He also shared that a similar thing being incorporated in the city is introducing the Dabawenyo DCplinado to the educational system, molding the children to become well-disciplined people, as the City Mayor observed that most progressive countries in Southeast Asia are the most well-disciplined ones.

“We are excited about the construction of the bypass tunnel as you can see the city is growing rapidly, so more roads are needed for the continuous influx of people coming into the city. We are happy that we have this collaboration with you and we hope to do more partnerships with the JICA in the coming years,” he added.

Mayor Duterte also expressed his interest in collaborating with Japan, particularly in education and agriculture. 

The courtesy call was also attended by Vice Mayor Atty. J. Melchor Quitain Jr., Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, Councilor Myrna G. L’Dalodo Ortiz, City Information Officer-in-charge Harvey James Lanticse, City Planning and Development Coordinator Engr. Ivan Cortez, Davao City Investment Promotion Center in-charge Ms. April Marie Dayap; Embassy of Japan in the Philippines (EJP) first secretary Kurihara Shinobu, EJP second secretary Kinoshita Akito, EJP third secretary Saka Ryosuke; Consul General of Japan in Davao Mr. Ishikawa Yoshihisa, and Vice-Consul Akari Oda.

H.E. Endo Kazuya succeeds former Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko and is committed to enhancing Japan-Philippines relations as strategic partners while supporting trilateral cooperation with the United States.