MANILA — Tourists from the Philippines to Japan reached a record high of over 620,000 in 2023, the first time the annual figure has surpassed pre-COVID-19 benchmarks, Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko said on Friday. 

In his opening remarks during the reception of the birthday of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito in Taguig City, Koshikawa said the Philippines was Japan’s top source of tourists in Southeast Asia in July 2023, with 51,700 arrivals.

In total, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, there were around 622,300 visitors from the Philippines in 2023, marking a 1.5 percent uptick from the levels recorded in 2019 or before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People-to-people exchange is flourishing. We would like to keep our country attractive to the Filipino people,” Koshikawa said.

Koshikawa arrived in the Philippines as Japanese envoy in November 2020 or during the height of restrictions due to COVD-19 transmissions.

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He said he will soon end his term in Manila and that the reception was his last public event.

“Since I arrive[d] in the Philippines as Ambassador to the Philippines, ties between Japan and the Philippines [have extended] to a wide range of levels,” Koshikawa said.

He added, “Our bilateral relations have evolved beyond traditional areas and made great progress in a variety of new areas with warm support of the Filipino people.”

The ambassador also highlighted the “dramatic expansion” of Philippines-Japan cooperation through the mutual visits of the two countries’ leaders, including economic development plans, improvement of investment and business environment, progression of security and defense cooperation, among others.

“Under the strong leadership of both countries and your support, I hope cooperation between Japan and the Philippines will grow to even greater heights,” Koshikawa said.