Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, accompanied by his wife, Yoshiko Ishiba, visited the Japanese Memorial Garden in Caliraya, Laguna, offering flowers and prayers for the war dead of Japan and the Philippines.
The visit, which occurred at 11:50 a.m. local time (12:50 p.m. Japan time), marked the first time a sitting Japanese prime minister has visited the memorial. Representatives of Japanese residents in the Philippines and the Japan War Bereaved Families Association also attended the ceremony.
The Japanese Memorial Garden was established by the Japanese government to commemorate those who died during World War II. In 1973, the Philippine government granted land in Caliraya for the memorial.
In 2016, then-Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko offered flowers at the site. The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines holds a memorial service at the garden every 15 August to honor the war dead and promote peace and friendship between the two nations.