During his visit to attend the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related summits in Vientiane (Laos), on October 11, 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

At the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his wife will pay an official visit to Vietnam from April 27 to 29.

Ahead of the visit, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki shared with the press the recent developments in cooperation between the two countries, as well as introduced the purpose of the upcoming official visit to Vietnam by the Japanese Prime Minister.

Strengthening the 3 pillars of cooperation

Ambassador Ito Naoki said that the Japanese parliament will have a long session in May and June, so Japanese leaders usually have a week before the session which is considered the “golden time” to make a trip to a country of strategic importance to Japan. This time, Prime Minister Ishiba visited Vietnam and the Philippines.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki answers the press about the upcoming visit of the Japanese Prime Minister. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Ambassador Ito Naoki affirmed that Vietnam is a top priority in Japan's foreign policy, a place with a lot of potential with a population of more than 100 million people and high economic growth rate.

Prime Minister Ishiba has had the opportunity to meet with President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, but he has never met with General Secretary To Lam. Therefore, this visit is also an opportunity for the Japanese leader to build and nurture relations with General Secretary To Lam and other Vietnamese leaders.

Ambassador Ito Naoki said that Vietnam is entering an era of national growth and Japan believes that this will also be the time to further expand the cooperative relationship between the two countries within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world.

The Ambassador said that cooperation between Japan and Vietnam is mainly implemented on three pillars: Strengthening cooperation in the economic field, leading to expanding investment and trade; expanding cooperation in the security field; and promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Deputy Prime Ministers Ho Duc Phoc and Nguyen Chi Dung chaired a dialogue with Japanese businesses. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

In the economic pillar, as Vietnam aims to become a developed country by 2045, cooperation between the two countries plays a very important role in realizing this goal. Japan will specifically promote cooperation in new key areas such as digital transformation, green transformation, innovation, science and technology to meet Vietnam's further development needs.

In terms of energy, cooperation between Japan and Vietnam is being implemented through the Asian Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative initiated by Japan. The two countries have decided to implement 15 Japanese investment projects in renewable energy, including offshore wind power and solar power generation, with an investment scale of up to 20 billion USD.

The two countries are cooperating to develop highly qualified human resources in fields such as semiconductors. The NEXUS program of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which includes joint research activities on semiconductors between Japan and Vietnam, as well as the development of young human resources, is being considered. In addition, the Vietnam-Japan University - a joint cooperation project between the two countries - is preparing to open a training course for semiconductor personnel in the fall of this year.

On December 12, 2024, in Tokyo, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Funakoshi Takehiro co-chaired the 8th Vietnam-Japan Strategic Partnership Dialogue. (Photo: Nguyen Tuyen/VNA)

On the security front, Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru visited Vietnam. In April, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Suzunami docked in Da Nang and conducted training with the Vietnamese navy.

Over the past two years, technological cooperation in the field of defense equipment has made steady progress. In 2023, Japan transferred anti-corrosion treatment technology to the Vietnamese military, and in 2024, Japan handed over two supply transport vehicles to Vietnam.

In terms of people-to-people and cultural exchange, currently, the number of Vietnamese people living in Japan is up to 630,000 people, the number of Vietnamese tourists to Japan is 620,000 people, and the number of Japanese tourists to Vietnam is 710,000 people each year.

The Ambassador affirmed that Japan will continue to make efforts to ensure that it is a market that young Vietnamese people choose in their job search. The Japanese government has launched a new program called “Employment for Skill Development”, while businesses will also strive to further improve the working environment for Vietnamese workers.

On the afternoon of October 9, 2024, at the National Assembly House, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man received Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki. (Photo: Doan Tan/VNA)

Vietnamese workers will continue to come to Japan, work here and learn skills, then return to Vietnam and contribute to the Vietnamese economy and businesses. Such human resource rotation is an extremely important factor in bilateral relations.

“There are 170,000 people studying Japanese in Vietnam. This is not a small number, but we want to increase it further, as well as increase the number of highly qualified Japanese language human resources. During Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s visit, the Embassy of Japan is coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training to develop a framework program with the hope of increasing the number of Japanese language learners in the medium and long term, and improving the Japanese language education environment,” said the Ambassador.

Highlights of Vietnamese culture in Japan

Vietnam and Japan are also actively cooperating more closely to address common challenges of the international community. This cooperation is becoming increasingly important, especially when the global situation is constantly changing.

According to Ambassador Ito Naoki, Vietnam is pursuing a more proactive foreign policy at forums such as the United Nations or ASEAN, and Japan also wishes to further promote cooperation and linkages to support Vietnam's orientation. This year, Japan and Vietnam are co-chairing the Japan-Mekong cooperation framework, and the parties will discuss together to achieve results.

The Ambassador believes that cooperation in international forums will be one of the main topics on the agenda of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and senior leaders of Vietnam.

Vietnam-Japan Buddhist Cultural Exchange Festival on November 27, 2024 at Tam Chuc National Tourist Area. (Photo: Dai Nghia/VNA)

On this occasion, the Ambassador also shared about Vietnam's presence at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Accordingly, many attractive activities honoring the culture, country and people of Vietnam will take place on September 9 - Vietnam National Day at Expo 2025. Japan wants to celebrate this day solemnly with the Vietnamese Government.

The Ambassador also introduced another cultural event, the Setouchi Triennale International Art Exhibition, held every three years on the islands of the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu in Japan.

This year, for the first time, the art space will feature Vietnamese events, including a market selling Vietnamese handicrafts, items and food. This is also an opportunity to introduce the previously unknown contemporary perspective of a generation of young Vietnamese artists./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/dai-su-ito-naoki-viet-nam-la-quoc-gia-co-tam-quan-trong-chien-luoc-voi-nhat-ban-post1034663.vnp