VP Duterte meets with PM Kishida, Japanese officials


Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday, Sept. 29, shared details of her two-day Japan trip, where she was the country’s special envoy to the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Vice President Sara Duterte (2nd to the left) meets with State Minister Yana Kazuo (right) and other officials of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. (OVP photo)

In a statement, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said that aside from attending Abe’s state funeral, Duterte met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as the officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Photos released by Duterte’s office showed her visit at the Shibahama Elementary School.

Her meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education was meant “to exchange views on blended learning, and values and skill formation, STEM education, and Covid-response,” the OVP said.

(Photo courtesy of OVP)

“She also met with some members of the Filipino community. She hopes to meet the broader community in the future,” Duterte’s office said.

The Vice President was accompanied by Trix and her mother, Jen.

Trix is a Grade 9 student from Dinalupihan, Bataan who was invited as part of the “You Can Be VP” project of the OVP to inspire learners to “dream big and aim high.”

(OVP photo)

She joined the Vice President as she went around Japan to attend official events.

Duterte, who returned to the country on Wednesday, Sept. 28, was also accompanied by a delegation of four security personnel and a staff from the OVP.