The Japanese government announced Friday that it will confer its highest and most prestigious awards upon President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during their upcoming four-day state visit to Tokyo starting Tuesday.
President Marcos is set to receive the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, Japan’s premier decoration established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji, which is traditionally reserved for sovereigns, heads of state, and members of the Imperial Family. Meanwhile, the First Lady will be honored with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown, a distinguished honor created in 1888 to recognize exceptional achievements by women.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated during a press briefing that the bestowal of these high decorations aims to deepen the longstanding ties between the two nations, particularly as the Philippines and Japan celebrate the 70th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations this year.
The state visit, scheduled from May 26 to 29, 2026, marks the first time a sitting Philippine president has made a state call to Japan since the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in June 2015.
During the visit, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan will welcome the First Couple at the Imperial Palace for an official ceremony, a state call, and a formal banquet.
President Marcos will also sit down for a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to map out the future of the Philippines-Japan Strengthened Strategic Partnership.
Aside from diplomatic ceremonies, the Chief Executive is scheduled to engage with major Japanese business groups and meet with members of the Filipino community.
Securing the Region’s Energy Supply
A central focus of the bilateral summit will be regional energy security. In a recent interview with Japanese media in Malacañang, President Marcos highlighted Tokyo’s increasingly proactive approach to addressing energy vulnerabilities in Southeast Asia.
“We will again try to engage Japan and to see how it will work together with Japan, as Japan has now taken a more active role when it comes to the subject of energy and the energy supply,” the President said.
Marcos expressed gratitude for Japan’s continuous technical and strategic assistance, adding that diversifying fuel solutions has become a core component of Philippine economic policy.
“We are actually very grateful to Japan because Japan has been of great assistance to us in trying to find different solutions for the supply of the different kinds of fuel. And that has become a critical part of our policy,” he added.
The President noted that energy concerns took center stage during the recent 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, where regional leaders discussed a shared grid and a centralized oil reserve.
To mitigate supply disruptions, Japan has proposed a $10 billion assistance fund through the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia), an initiative introduced by Prime Minister Takaichi last April to stabilize critical mineral supply chains and bolster oil stockpiling.
“And we will again try to get more clarity on what the POWERR Asia system that has been proposed by Prime Minister Takaichi. What does it mean in terms of linkages between our different countries, between the Philippines and Japan, and between all of the countries in the region?” Marcos stated.
“So, it is extensively used for supply procurement, for supply chain maintenance, and for crude oil stockpiling capacity augmentation in Asia.”
The President emphasized that closer coordination between Japan and ASEAN on both transition fuels and renewable energy adoption is vital to shielding regional economies from geopolitical supply shocks.