Japan Welcomes 1st Parliamentary Election in Mindanao

Tokyo, Sept. 14 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government welcomed the first parliamentary election held in the Bangsamoro autonomous region on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, following decades of Tokyo's support for the peace process there.

The election was "a historic step," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference. Japan sent a group of about 15 election monitors.

Japan has been providing support to the Mindanao peace process for more than 30 years since the 1990s. Tokyo hosted peace talks in 2011 that eventually led to a peace agreement in 2014.

After the Bangsamoro transition authority was established in 2019, Japan has helped it improve administrative capabilities through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The vote is an "important achievement of Japan-backed peace efforts," a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. The Japanese government plans to continue providing support.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]