President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio reaffirmed the strategic energy partnership between the Philippines and Japan during a high-level meeting at Malacañang on Thursday, April 30, 2026. The discussions focused on navigating the energy transition while ensuring resilience against ongoing global supply chain disruptions.
Kishida, visiting Manila as a special envoy and the Supreme Adviser to the Parliamentary Association of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), engaged with the President to address the heightened risks to energy security posed by geopolitical tensions.
Marcos highlighted the critical nature of the current global landscape, particularly the instability in the Middle East.
“It has become especially pressing and critical with all of the events that are transpiring in the Middle East and the effects that it has had on the entire energy system of the world,” the President remarked.
Marcos further emphasized the human dimension of these regional tensions, noting the vulnerability of approximately 2.5 million Filipinos living and working across the Middle East. He expressed deep gratitude for Japan’s consistent reliability as a partner in maintaining the Philippines’ fuel reserves during periods of international crisis.
“We are very grateful for the support that Japan has given us… in terms of supply for different fuels,” he stated.
A core component of the dialogue centered on the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) framework. The meeting followed the AZEC-plus online summit held on April 15, where incumbent Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi introduced the POWERR Asia initiative—a $10-billion framework designed to bolster energy resilience and assist Asian nations in securing oil supplies during emergencies.
Both leaders agreed on the necessity of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy sources to reduce long-term dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets.
“Move away from fossil fuels” and expand the use of renewable technologies, Marcos urged, expressing optimism that AZEC initiatives would provide the technical and financial support needed for this shift.
For his part, Kishida reaffirmed Tokyo’s commitment to deepening economic and energy collaboration with Manila, welcoming the Philippines’ active participation in regional zero-emission strategies. The visit, which runs until May 2, aims to translate these high-level frameworks into tangible energy projects for both nations.