A ranking official of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines paid a courtesy call on Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Macairog S. Alberto at the PA headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

The visiting dignitary was Minister Yasushi Yamamoto, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Embassy, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said in a statement.

The visit is part of Japan and the Philippines’ constant efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.

“Our 2 countries’ cooperation and exchanges should be upgraded further to support the [mutual] understanding,” Yamamoto said.

The Japanese official also expressed his gratitude to the PA in terms of military training and said that their forces learned much from their Filipino counterparts.

On the other hand, Alberto recalled the recent visit of a Japanese team that inspected PA’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief equipment in coordination with the Army’s Engineering Battalion.

The collaboration aimed to enhance the command’s abilities in responding to emergencies and rescue operations.

“We have lots of disaster coming in the Philippines [such as earthquakes and typhoons], so we have this cooperation with your Army. We are planning more activities with you,” the PA chief said. (PNA)