MANILA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano announced on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to cancel his trip to Japan next month in the wake of the ongoing security crisis in southern Philippines.
Duterte is scheduled to visit Japan from June 5 to 7 to attend an international conference in Tokyo.
The Department of Foreign Affairs announced late Tuesday that Duterte's trip to Japan "will be rescheduled".
"Secretary Cayetano announced that President Duterte will not proceed with his scheduled visit to Japan to address the 23rd Nikkei International Conference on the Future of Asia," the department said in a statement.
The statement said that the "Philippine and Japanese governments mutually agreed that there will be a better time for President Duterte to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe".
"The lines of communication between the Department of Foreign Affairs and its Japanese counterpart continue to be active in connection with the said event," the statement said.
"In light of recent developments in Marawi City and Mindanao, the president needs to personally oversee the situation to ensure the safety and security of our people," Cayetano said.
Duterte cut short his visit to Russia and returned to the Philippines last week following fighting between government forces and the Maute Group in the south of the country.
