GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 2 January) – A senior Japanese official vowed Friday to, among others, further enhance trade and people-to-people ties between Japan and Mindanao in 2026, the 70th Philippines-Japan Friendship Anniversary.
Ono Hirotaka, Consul General of Japan to Davao, said the onset of the new year “invites us to reflect on our shared history, appreciate the strategic partnership we now enjoy, and look ahead to a future rich with opportunities for collaboration.
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“(We will continue to) strengthen trade, investment, tourism, and foster cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Mindanao,” he said.
Some of the major Japanese investments in Mindanao include the Itochu Corporation-owned Dole Philippines Inc. in Polomolok, South Cotabato and the Nakashin Davao International in Davao City.
Both are engaged in agriculture and food manufacturing.
Japan has also been contributing to the peace process in Mindanao for more than two decades, particularly helping peace and development initiatives in the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was replaced by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019.
The establishment of the Bangsamoro region was the major component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the final peace deal signed by the Philippine government and the erstwhile rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations.
To date, at least US$515 million in more than 100 projects have been undertaken under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD) as part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), data from the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines showed.
J-BIRD was launched in December 2006 with the objective of enabling people and communities in the target areas to enjoy the “dividends of peace” on the basis of “human security” principles.
Japan is also a member of the International Contact Group (ICG), a mechanism in the Bangsamoro peace process composed of sovereign states and international non-government organizations.
The ICG’s mandate includes maintaining trust between the parties.
Last year, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya visited different areas in the BARMM to launch or visit Japan-assisted projects.
Meanwhile, Ono assured that the Consulate General of Japan in Davao will continue to safeguard the well-being of Japanese nationals in Mindanao.
“At the same time, we remain committed to addressing issues concerning Japanese descendants and to ensuring that these important ties endure for generations to come,” he added.
He noted that the Consulate General of Japan in Davao exists “to ensure that all Japanese people in Mindanao can spend their time safely and securely.” (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
