Major Japanese firms pledge PH investments

The Philippines has secured a total of 51 billion in investment pledges from Japanese companies following last week’s visit of the administration’s economic team to Japan, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Monday, Sept. 15.

- BY DEXTER BARRO II

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque announced during the Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) in Osaka last Friday, Sept. 12, that the country gained new investments and project expansions from four Japanese conglomerates.

These investments—spanning consumer services, property development, advanced industries, clean energy, and leisure and entertainment—were finalized during high-level discussions led by the DTI’s Japan unit under Special Trade Representative Dita Angara-Mathay.

Roque said these meetings enabled the economic team, who was in Japan, to jointly review the projects, including the government’s support for the smooth rollout of the investments.

The visiting economic managers included Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Zeno Abenoja.

Angara-Mathay said the presence of the country’s top economic officials “sent a powerful signal to investors.”

“Their collective participation assured investors of high-level government commitment and seamless coordination—giving confidence that these projects will be fast-tracked from commitment to execution,” she said.

Among the deals secured was a P34-billion investment from Koshidaka Holdings Co. Ltd., operator of popular karaoke chain Karaoke Manekineko.