MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, May 28, speaks before the National Diet, or the national legislature of Japan, as part of his four-day state visit.

An address to the National Diet is a rare honor bestowed upon to visiting leaders and is, by some measure, an indication of the strength of Tokyo’s ties with another country.

Marcos will be the fourth Philippine President to speak before the National Diet. The last Philippine president to deliver an address before Japan’s national legislature was the late Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in 2015.

Marcos is in Japan from May 26 to 29 for a state visit. He has met with the Emperor and Empress, the Filipino community in Japan, and Japanese business leaders. After his address before the National Diet, Marcos is set to meet again with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanea. – Rappler.com