PH Envoy Presents Credentials to Japan’s

Emperor

TOKYO – Philippine Ambassador to Japan

Mylene Garcia-Albano has presented her credentials to Emperor Naruhito in rites held at the Imperial Palace on April 19, formally commencing her role as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s envoy to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japan Mourns Passing of Former PH Foreign Affairs Secretary Del Rosario

TOKYO/MANILA – Japan’s Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa expressed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s condolences on the passing of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, who died on April 18 at the age of 83.

Koshikawa on April 20 took to Twitter to convey the message to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., mourning the loss of an esteemed exCabinet member.

Kishida and Del Rosario shared a strong bond of friendship during their tenures as foreign ministers, as acknowledged by Koshikawa’s tweet.

“PM Kishida has been a good friend of Secretary Del Rosario since he was Foreign Minister,” he wrote.

In an earlier tweet, the Japanese envoy hailed Del Rosario’s invaluable contributions towards strengthening Philippines-Japan ties, exemplified by the conferment of a Japanese Decoration last year, and his leadership in upholding the rule of law in the sea.

Garcia-Albano is the first Filipina ambassador in Japan, a country that houses around 290,000 Filipinos. - Florenda Corpuz

Del Rosario’s legacy of promoting cooperation between the two countries earned him the highest commendation for foreign nationals, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, bestowed by the Japanese government.

He served as foreign minister under the administration of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III from 2011 to 2016, during which Kishida held his Japanese counterpart position.

- Florenda Corpuz

Filipino Tourists Continue to Flock to Japan

TOKYO – Japan’s reopening of its borders to international tourism has attracted an increasing number of visitors from the Philippines, according to a preliminary report by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on April 19.

The report stated that 46,600 tourists from the Philippines visited Japan last March, equivalent to 96.5% of the prepandemic level recorded in 2019 for the same month.

The Land of the Rising Sun welcomed approximately 110,200 Filipino visitors in the first quarter of this year, which is 92.3% of what was recorded during the same period four years ago.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Japan received about 1,817,500 foreign travelers in March, representing 65.8% of the level recorded in 2019. - Florenda Corpuz