The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) has sent a post-pandemic economic mission to the country to assess investment prospects 
brought on by high-level economic growth achieved by the Marcos administration. 

(From left) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and JCCI chair Ken Kobayashi (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)

Ken Kobayashi, JCCI chair, said during a courtesy call to President Marcos  at Malacañan Palace on Monday, Oct. 23, that the chamber decided to visit the country first as it resumed sending missions to foreign countries.

This economic mission to the Philippines was the first to be dispatched by the JCCI since the pandemic.

Quoting Kobayashi, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) cited in a statement that the Philippines’ “stable and high-level economic growth in recent years has attracted Japanese investors to develop their operations in anticipation of increased workforce population as well as domestic demand.”

“The Socioeconomic 8-Point Agenda that you have announced, Mr. President, prioritizes social security and the development of human capital. Also, it establishes the investment promotion, strengthening of digital infrastructure, the promotion of green economy, and so forth, through which you are aiming at expanding and creating jobs,” the JCCI chair said.

“And it is expected that in these fields that we can see the further promotion of the cooperation between our two countries,” he added.

According to Kobayashi, the Japanese mission was composed of some 70 members representing the top management of the Japanese corporate world, which is an illustration of the Japanese corporations’ interest in the Philippines.

JCCI is the largest business organization in Japan with 1.25 million companies ranging from big corporations to small- and medium-sized enterprises.

It also includes 515 local chambers across Japan.

In his response, Marcos acknowledged Japan’s continuing assistance to the Philippines in terms of infrastructure development.

The President noted, however, the challenges of the new economy and new technologies.

He said that apart from infrastructure development, renewable energy, digitalization, and telecommunications, the Philippines is also prioritizing agriculture and climate change adaptation.

“There is the overbearing issue of climate change. This is something that we really did not have to deal with in the past. But it is something that is here and present and we feel the effects of the climate change, especially here in the Philippines already,” Marcos told the members of the JCCI.

“Also, we have put great priority on the development of our agricultural sector. And again, we had some very interesting discussions with our Japanese counterparts concerning the areas of agriculture. And that is something that I think that we can – we need to develop and to continue,” he added, stressing how climate change must be a part of the discussions because of its impact on agriculture.