Today, January 15, 2026, marks a historic milestone in Asian diplomacy as Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi arrived in Manila for a highly productive official visit, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines. During a series of high-level meetings with Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, the two nations successfully signed pivotal defense pacts, including the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (A