Politburo member To Huy Rua, who is also President of the Vietnamese-Japanese Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, hosted a reception in Hanoi on October 30 for visiting former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Rua spoke highly of Hatoyama’s active contributions to the two countries’ bilateral relations which help strengthen and consolidate bilateral cooperation in the fields of politics, economics-trade, education-training, and people-to-people exchange.

He congratulated the former PM on receiving the Friendship Order, the Vietnamese State’s noblest honour to foreigners.

Hatoyama, who is also former President of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, affirmed that in any position he will continue to pay attention to further developing the Vietnam-Japan relationship.-VNA