TOKYO announced the conferment of Japanese decorations on four Filipinos, including former Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, for helping strengthen Philippine-Japan relations.

In a statement, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said the four will receive the following decoration:

Alberto G. Romulo
– Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun

Delfin N. Lorenzana
– The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star

Gamaliel A. Cordoba
– The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon

Dr. Cynthia Neri Zayas
– The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette

“The Government of Japan warmly congratulates these four outstanding Filipinos and appreciates their significant contributions to forging stronger ties between Japan and the Philippines,” the Embassy said.

Romulo served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2011.

On the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines, he contributed to the formulation of the Japan-Philippines Joint Statement, entitled “Partnership between Close Neighbors for Comprehensive Cooperation”, which forms the basis for today’s “Strategic Partnership” between the two nations.

Lorenzana served as the Secretary of National Defense from 2016 to 2022 during which defense cooperation and exchanges between Japan and the Philippines were greatly enhanced, particularly with the participation of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in joint exercises between the Philippine and United States armies.

Former commissioner Cordoba, meanwhile, served at the National Telecommunications Commission from 2009 to 2022 and made “significant contributions to advancing cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in the field of telecommunications”.

Zayas, the Philippines’ leading maritime anthropologist, on the other hand, is a foremost Japanologist. Philippine News Agency

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