Akihiko Tanaka, the Japan International Cooperation Agency's newly appointed head, has met with government and rebel leaders in the southern Philippines to pledge Japan's continued support to resolving the decades-old conflict on Mindanao.
On Tuesday, Tanaka met separately with Mujiv Hataman, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the vice chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has waged a long-running Muslim separatist campaign in the area, to assure them of JICA's continued support for achieving peace in the Bangsamoros region on Mindanao and adjacent islands, and to assist in their future development.
It is Tanaka's first overseas visit as president of Japan's international aid agency, after assuming the post April 1.