Manila, April 24 -- Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Thursday said Japan and the Philippines are set to sign a number of bilateral agreements during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Manila next week.

"I can't say right now how many but we will have a couple of agreements. The discussions will be on a broad range of issues -political, economic, and cultural," he said on the sidelines of the Maritime Security Forum in Manila.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to disclose what specific agreements are up for signing.

The Filipino top diplomat highlighted the significance of this visit at a time when the two governments are working to further strengthen strategic partnership between Manila and ...