Ambassador Endo's New Year's Greeting for 2026
2026/1/1
Manigong Bagong Taon po sa inyong lahat! Happy New Year!
Japan-Philippines relations have reached unprecedented heights. Regarded as the "Golden Age" in our ties, Japan and the Philippines have built a strong relationship in recent years, supported by the friendship between our peoples and their shared values. Our cooperation has expanded across the economy, society, culture, and security. Amid a fluid international landscape and an increasingly challenging regional security environment, Japan and the Philippines are strategic partners that need each other more than ever. The Philippines remains indispensable in advancing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
In light of this significant trend in bilateral relations, last year marked a year of further strides for Japan-Philippines ties. Numerous high-level exchanges took place, including then Prime Minister Ishiba’s visit to the Philippines in April and President Marcos's visit to Japan in June. President Marcos was the first foreign leader with whom Prime Minister Takaichi held face-to-face talks soon after her assuming office.
Security cooperation was further strengthened with the entry into force of the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) and the agreement in principle on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA).
At the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the Philippine Pavilion won the Silver Prize during its impressive run. While the number of Japanese visitors to the Philippines has also been steadily increasing since the end of the pandemic, the number of Filipino visitors to Japan also reached a record high, approaching one million.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines. It is also the year the Philippines assumes ASEAN Chairship, with robust high-level exchanges and numerous interactions anticipated. Building on our bilateral relations’ significant strides last year, we aim to deepen our cooperation, ensuring steady progress for our expanding ties in the year ahead.
For this 70th anniversary, Japan and the Philippines have adopted “Weaving the Future Together: Peace, Prosperity, Possibilities” as the theme for this milestone year. As neighboring countries which share fundamental values, Japan and the Philippines have long fostered cooperation, friendship, and trust across a diverse range of fields — from culture to economy and politics. Like threads woven into fabric, our diverse exchanges and cooperation vibrantly come together to form the tapestry of Japan–Philippines relations.
I believe exciting opportunities abound this year to continuously strengthen and weave more threads into our friendship. With each new connection, we make this year a greater affirmation of our nations’ shared journey towards a future we envision together.
As we welcome an extraordinary year, may this year bring prosperity, good health, and countless reasons to smile to all. Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!
Japan-Philippines relations have reached unprecedented heights. Regarded as the "Golden Age" in our ties, Japan and the Philippines have built a strong relationship in recent years, supported by the friendship between our peoples and their shared values. Our cooperation has expanded across the economy, society, culture, and security. Amid a fluid international landscape and an increasingly challenging regional security environment, Japan and the Philippines are strategic partners that need each other more than ever. The Philippines remains indispensable in advancing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
In light of this significant trend in bilateral relations, last year marked a year of further strides for Japan-Philippines ties. Numerous high-level exchanges took place, including then Prime Minister Ishiba’s visit to the Philippines in April and President Marcos's visit to Japan in June. President Marcos was the first foreign leader with whom Prime Minister Takaichi held face-to-face talks soon after her assuming office.
Security cooperation was further strengthened with the entry into force of the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) and the agreement in principle on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA).
At the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the Philippine Pavilion won the Silver Prize during its impressive run. While the number of Japanese visitors to the Philippines has also been steadily increasing since the end of the pandemic, the number of Filipino visitors to Japan also reached a record high, approaching one million.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines. It is also the year the Philippines assumes ASEAN Chairship, with robust high-level exchanges and numerous interactions anticipated. Building on our bilateral relations’ significant strides last year, we aim to deepen our cooperation, ensuring steady progress for our expanding ties in the year ahead.
For this 70th anniversary, Japan and the Philippines have adopted “Weaving the Future Together: Peace, Prosperity, Possibilities” as the theme for this milestone year. As neighboring countries which share fundamental values, Japan and the Philippines have long fostered cooperation, friendship, and trust across a diverse range of fields — from culture to economy and politics. Like threads woven into fabric, our diverse exchanges and cooperation vibrantly come together to form the tapestry of Japan–Philippines relations.
I believe exciting opportunities abound this year to continuously strengthen and weave more threads into our friendship. With each new connection, we make this year a greater affirmation of our nations’ shared journey towards a future we envision together.
As we welcome an extraordinary year, may this year bring prosperity, good health, and countless reasons to smile to all. Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!
January 1, 2026
Ambassador ENDO Kazuya
Ambassador ENDO Kazuya