NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong met leaders of the House of Councillors, the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary League and senior Government officials of Japan in Tokyo on Jan. 10, on the sidelines of the 20th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum meeting.

At her meeting with Vice Chairman of the Japanese House of Councillors Otsuji Hidehisa, Vice Chairwoman Phong affirmed Vietnam will continue to help Japan overcome recent disasters.

She reaffirmed that Vietnam will continue implementing its nuclear power project with Japan’s assistance.

Hidehisa expressed his confidence in his country’s businesses to build the nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan province.

He affirmed that relations between the two parliaments will play an important role in promoting the further development of the bilateral strategic partnership.

Many Japanese parliamentarians want to take part in exchange activities with the Vietnamese NA, he said.

At another meeting with President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary League Yukio Hatoyama, the Vietnamese Vice Chairwoman highlighted the role of the league in promoting the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership in various fields.

Phong underlined the Vietnamese NA’s commitment to increase its role in monitoring the use of official development assistance capital provided by the Japanese Government.

She proposed the Japanese parliamentarians group increase its exchange with the Vietnamese legislative body and said she hoped Japanese parliamentarians will play a greater role in increasing loan sources for Vietnam and facilitating Japanese business investment in Vietnam.

Hatoyama thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their assistance to Japan that suffered from the serious consequences of earthquake and tsunami in March last year.

Vietnam is one of Japan’s important partners, he said, saying that Japan will provide further assistance to Vietnam’s infrastructure construction projects and other fields.

While meeting Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi, Vice Chairwoman Phong spoke highly of Japanese cabinet members’ contributions to stepping up the two countries’ relations.

She called on Japan to invest in supporting and hi-tech industries and help Vietnam to adapt to climate change, apart from infrastructure construction.

For his part, the Japanese minister said that Japan will expand cooperation with Vietnam, expressing the belief that Vietnam will become a nation with an important role in the region.

Talking with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Michihiko Kano, the Vietnamese NA Chairwoman said she hoped that Japan will use its agricultural technology to help Vietnam’s agricultural sector to increase its product quality.

Minister Kano expressed the hope that Japan and Vietnam will cooperate further in the agriculture sector to cement the strategic partnership./.