Minister YOKOTA Naobumi attends road workshop by MLIT and DPWH

On 2 December 2025, Minister for Economic Affairs YOKOTA Naobumi joined the “4th Workshop for Technical and Business Cooperation on the Road Construction and Operation and Maintenance of Road Tunnels and Related Facilities,” organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). This workshop was conducted based on the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2022. Approximately 150 participants from both the private and public sectors in Japan and the Philippines attended the event, giving presentations and engaging in discussions on topics including: 1) construction, operation, and maintenance of road tunnels; 2) bridge maintenance and rehabilitation; and 3) utilization and promotion of advanced technologies in the road sector.

In his opening remarks, Minister Yokota highlighted Japan and the Philippines' long-term cooperation in the road sector, dating from the construction of the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway started in 1968, to ongoing projects such as the Davao City Bypass Construction Project and the Dalton Pass East Alignment Road Construction Project. He also expressed Japan’s commitment to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure development.