Japan's special envoy to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio announced that the Philippines, which has a strong partnership with Japan, is among the first nations to benefit from Tokyo's $10 billion initiative to help Asian countries facing an oil crisis.
Envoy Delivers Personal Letter
Kishida, currently serving as the supreme advisor to Japan's Parliamentary Association of Asia Zero Emission Community (Azec), personally handed a letter from Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during a meeting in Manila.
Strengthening Energy Cooperation
During a press conference on Thursday evening, April 30, it was stated that Takaichi aims to strengthen cooperation between the Philippines and Japan in energy resilience under the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia (Powerr Asia). Kishida expressed that the Philippines is expected to be among the first recipients of assistance from Powerr Asia.
The $10 billion Powerr Asia program is a procurement and cooperation initiative designed to strengthen energy supply in participating countries. It was launched by Takaichi during an online Asia Zero Emission Community (Azec) summit on April 15, which was attended by Marcos.
Bilateral Energy Dialogue
After his meeting with Marcos, Kishida held a dialogue with Energy Secretary Sharon Garin to discuss broader energy cooperation at both bilateral and Azec levels. According to him, Tokyo aims to strengthen collaboration in areas such as nuclear energy and liquefied natural gas.
