On March 7th, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, from the Supreme Court of the Philippines, visited the Supreme Court of Japan to pay a courtesy call on Chief Justice TOKURA Saburo.

Chief Justice Gesmundo stated that the judiciary of the Philippines were working to improve access to justice in the Philippines, which consists of over 7100 islands, and to expedite proceedings through the digitalization of court procedures. Chief Justice TOKURA responded, "The use of digital technology is crucial for addressing the prolongation of civil litigation in Japan, too. For its success, I believe it is key to make judges familiar with digital technology, who have been accustomed to work with papers." At the end of the meeting, they confirmed to continue exchanges between the two judiciaries.