Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya on January 28 paid a courtesy call on Mayor Sebastian Duterte.
The visit was intended to bolster the bilateral relations between Davao City and Japan as strategic partners.
During the meeting, Ambassador Endo expressed his gratitude to Davao City and the mayor for their unwavering support to the Japanese community.
He said Japan and the Philippines have a long history of positive relations and collaboration, which he hopes will continue.
“We would also like to continue our economic cooperation between the Japanese side and the city of Davao,” he said.
He also said Japan will keep supporting the Mindanao Peace Process.
In his remarks, Mayor Duterte also emphasized the value of a positive relationship between Davao City and Japan, noting that Japan has served as Davao City’s model, particularly in terms of development.
The mayor also emphasized how Dabawenyos gained a lot from Japanese culture, particularly with regard to teaching discipline.
He said that by incorporating the Dabawenyo DCplinado Program into the Davao School curriculum, he hoped to inculcate the same values in Dabawenyo children.
He said Davao City expects more cooperation with Japan, especially in the field of agriculture and education.
“Japanese people are very welcome in Davao City and we would love to have more collaborations and partnerships with the Japanese people,” he added.
Duterte and Ambassador Endo also exchanged tokens as a symbol of friendship.
The Japanese Ambassador, along with other guests, on January 27 paid a visit to Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (MKD) and the Davao City Bypass Tunnel (DCBT), a key part of the 45.5-kilometer Davao City Bypass Construction Project. On January 28, they visited the Japanese Cemetery in Mintal and the IMIN Philippine-Japan Historical Museum in Calinan.
Presently, Davao City has several sister city relationships with Japan including Kitakyushu, Sennan, and Hamamatsu.
The courtesy call was attended by the Consulate-General of Japan in Davao, Japanese guests, and dignitaries, Vice Mayor Atty. Jay Melchor Quitain, Councilors Al Ryan Alejandre and Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, along with other city officials. CIO
