Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit the Philippines by the end of the year as Tokyo keeps the momentum of its positive defense ties trajectory with Manila. Kishida's visit will happen in the same year that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. visited Japan, where he signed, among other agreements, with his counterpart a terms of reference between the two countries' response on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities. "Indeed, since His Excellency President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office last year, the cooperation between our countries has tremendously flourished, especially in the area of defense and security," Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko said on Friday, July 7. But this time, Kishida will head to the Philippines to "forge even closer ties and lasting partnerships" with its Asian neighbor, the envoy said. Kazuhiko expressed concern on "a critical crossroads in the face of major challenges" that the world is now standing. That's the reason why, he said, Tokyo "is ardently pursuing stronger bilateral ties" with Manila, its maritime neighbor and strategic partner, to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific." Amid the "swiftly changing tides in the global environment," the Japanese envoy said defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and Japan "is becoming all the more significant." Kazuhiko said Japan is now directing all its focus "in generating concrete measures that would further deepen our defense partnership." "We are also looking forward to President Marcos Jr.'s participation in the upcoming celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship in Tokyo in December," he added.