Japan Offers Satellite Services for PH Mobility Industry – Manila Bulletin

The Japanese government has offered the Philippines its “Himawari” satellite services for digital infrastructure needs in the development of the mobility industry, such as the promotion of electric vehicles and self-driving cars in the country.

In a speech at the launch of Toyota Mobility Solutions, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa spoke of his initial discussions with some of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration secretaries and political leaders with a view to possible cooperation on digital infrastructure for the country’s mobility industry. .

According to the ambassador, their discussion with government officials focused on the possibility of using the high-precision positioning service by Japanese satellites, weather data from the “Himawari” weather satellite and the high-altitude platform station. being developed by a private Japanese company.

“I believe that such cooperation between the public and private sectors in the basic infrastructure of digital transformation will serve as a catalyst for the transition to a mobility industry, such as the promotion of electric vehicles and self-driving cars in the Philippines. “, said the ambassador. Koshikawa.

According to its website, Himawari 8 is a Japanese weather satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The spacecraft was built by Mitsubishi Electric.

JMA is responsible for contributing to the improvement of public welfare. Areas of interest include natural disaster prevention and mitigation, transportation safety, industrial prosperity, climate change monitoring, and international cooperation activities.

In addition to these responsibilities, the Meteorological Satellite Center (MSC) is responsible for observing meteorological and related phenomena from space using meteorological satellites, processing the collected observation data and disseminating this information and products derived from it.

As the Philippines has significantly eased its restrictions on foreign investment, the Ambassador expressed optimism for a further increase in investment and trade from Japan, as well as the implementation of Executive Order No. 182, providing for a Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program.

For example, he noted that the Philippines is one of the countries with the largest Toyota market in ASEAN. Toyota has sold about two million vehicles since 1988. In terms of employment, TMP directly supports the livelihoods of about 3,700 people through automobile production in the Philippines.

The Ambassador further stated that Toyota’s move towards “creating the mobility service for a better society, for better business, for a better life and for a better drive”.

“Toyota advocates undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation to become a total mobility solutions provider. I firmly believe that such a transformation from an automotive industry to a mobility industry that Toyota aims to achieve will prove to be a a real game-changer for the manufacturing and service sector nationwide,” he said.

He noted that the launch of Toyota’s Mobility Solutions Unit showed much of the forward-looking bilateral cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in many fields, be it in diplomacy, economy , technology, lifestyle and culture, among others.

Today, Japan is the top investor, top official development assistance (ODA) partner, and one of the top traders in the Philippines. He added that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised President Marcos to further deepen cooperation and relations with the Philippines in a wide range of areas. .

He further mentioned the latest public opinion poll, which revealed that almost 80% of Filipinos trust Japan. “Given the bitter history of the war almost 80 years ago, I am deeply grateful that the supermajority of Filipinos now trust Japan,” he said.