Greetings from Ambassador-designate Kitagawa

Mabuhay!

I am KITAGAWA Katsuro, and it is my great honor and privilege to be appointed Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines. I would like to extend my sincere greetings to you upon my arrival.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines, a historic milestone for our  friendship. Across a wide range of fields – including political and security partnership, economy and economic cooperation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges – our bilateral relationship is showing unprecedented deepening and expansion. Furthermore, during the state visit of  President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos to Japan in May, Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae and President Marcos agreed at their summit meeting to elevate our bilateral relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” – the first of its kind for the Philippines. Building upon this agreement as a new foundation, I’m determined to further advance our bilateral cooperation with renewed vigor. 

This year is also of key significance as the Philippines serves as the Chair of ASEAN. A number of meetings have already been held, including the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last July. Under the leadership of the Philippines, steady progress has been made on shared challenges facing ASEAN and its partners, including Japan. With the ASEAN-related Summits approaching in November, Japan intends to leverage our strong bilateral partnership to help generate concrete outcomes that contribute to the stability and prosperity of the region and the world.

I am delighted to serve as Ambassador at such a critical juncture and playing a role as a bridge between our two nations brings me immense joy, while filling me with a deep sense of responsibility. 

The excellent relations we enjoy today are the culmination of heart-to-heart bonds nurtured over many decades, built upon the tireless efforts of our predecessors who overcame difficult times in the past to foster mutual understanding and trust, as well as the broad exchanges between our peoples. I will spare no effort to ensure that these people-to-people ties – the unshakable foundation of Japan-Philippines relations – further expand and are passed on dynamically to future generations. 

The Embassy of Japan, together with the Consulates General in Davao and Cebu, remain fully dedicated to supporting the Japanese community in the Philippines. We consider your safety, security, health, and well-being to be our top priority. With your continued support and cooperation, our entire staff will work together as one to propel Japan-Philippines relations to even greater heights. 

Maraming salamat po!

September 2026