A classic word appropriately describes the essential accomplishment of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s recent five-day working visit to Japan. It established the blueprint for the future of Philippine-Japan relations. Blueprints are “drawings that architects use to plan new buildings.” While architects today use computers to create building drawings, originally, the printing process created white lines on blue paper. According to Merriam Webster: “A blueprint is a two-dimensional set of drawings that provides a detailed visual representation of how an architect wants a building to look. Blueprints typically specify a building's dimensions, construction materials, and the exact placement of all its components.” As the chief architect of foreign policy, the President is responsible for ensuring that, in the conduct of relations with other states, the country’s highest interests are served. Speaking to media as he headed home from Tokyo earlier this week, President Marcos reflected: “We’re going to sit down, and we’re going to talk about each and every project that we have talked about to ASEAN, APEC, EU, New York, China, and now Japan.” Including his latest visit to Japan, the President has secured around $54 billion in investment pledges, of which the biggest chunk of $22.8 billion is accounted for by China. The President expressed the need to review and prioritize these projects. This stems from the realization that the country’s policies and regulations – including those set forth by the local government units – need to be reassessed, even reengineered, to ensure that these are relevant and responsive. Highlighting the Japan visit was the shared commitment of both countries to further strengthen security and economic ties. The possibility of forging a bilateral alliance like the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States has also been broached – and the President quickly qualified that this must not stoke further tensions with China. He said that PH-Japan ties could evolve into a broader alliance with other Asian countries like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It must be pointed out that the concept of defense and security has become broader, including natural disasters and diseases. A total of 35 agreements totaling around $13 billion were signed, covering manufacturing, infrastructure development, energy, transportation, healthcare, renewable energy, and business expansion. These investment pledges are expected to create around 24,000 jobs. According to Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual several PH-Japan deals are ready for implementation, including those that have been registered with the Board of Investments (BOI). Business leader Manuel V. Pangilinan and Mitsui Corp. signified their commitment to invest $600 million in infrastructure development. Toyota Motors and Mitsubishi have reaffirmed their continuing participation in car manufacturing. Toyota also pledged to consider reviving production of the Tamaraw, a utility vehicle with a unique Filipino identity. All told, President Marcos’ Japan visit appears to be an inflection point in the early phase of his presidency. His participation in a series of global and regional summits as well as visits to ASEAN countries has stamped his stature as a credible and competent leader.