President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a phone conference on Tuesday to reaffirm the bilateral partnership between the Philippines and Japan, while aligning preparations for major regional summits hosted in Manila next month.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the leaders focused on co-chairing the upcoming 4th Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders’ Meeting, slated for November 11, alongside the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings from November 15 to 17.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae of Japan spoke by phone on 20 October 2026 to discuss the ASEAN Summit in November, as well as to exchange views on areas of bilateral cooperation and regional developments,” the PCO said in an official release.
During the high-level call, the two heads of state reviewed key areas of cooperation, including energy security, maritime defense, artificial intelligence (AI) development, and ongoing peace consolidation efforts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
They also reaffirmed joint commitments to enhance regional economic resilience through the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), a multi-country infrastructure initiative aimed at boosting connectivity, supply chains, and high-tech investments across Central Luzon.
The talks highlighted Japan’s financial support for clean energy transitions across Southeast Asia, particularly through its $10-billion Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia) initiative launched during the AZEC Plus One Summit. AZEC aims to balance decarbonization with regional energy security and sustainable economic development.
The phone conference builds on the momentum generated during President Marcos’s State Visit to Japan in May, where the two nations officially elevated their diplomatic ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
With Manila preparing to host 20 heads of state for the back-to-back summits, both leaders expressed confidence that the November gatherings will further cement regional stability and bolster economic integration across the Indo-Pacific.