Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan thanked Japan for supporting Vietnam in disaster prevention and control and climate change response during her meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Sendai city on March 15.

The two sides voiced their delight at the vigorous growth of the Vietnamese-Japanese relations over the past years, particularly since their ties were lifted to the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia during Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to Japan one year ago.

The Vietnamese Vice President, who is in the Japanese city to attend the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, asked Japan to share more experience and technology to help promote her country’s disaster prevention capacity, including building shelter for fishing boats and maintaining dams.

She appreciated Japan’s provision of official development assistance (ODA) over the past two decades while valuing contributions by Kishida, who is also the General Secretary of the Japanese-Vietnamese Friendship Parliamentarians Union, to bilateral relations.

Doan also proposed Japan increase aid to Vietnam in infrastructure construction, personnel training, health care, agriculture and support industry development, and receive more Vietnamese trainees.

On his part, Minister Kishida affirmed that Japan regards Vietnam as an important partner and pledges to continue assisting the latter in its socio-economic development.

He said his country is considering the provision of non-refundable aid for the Southeast Asian country’s disaster prevention and control programme and ODA loans for the fifth phase of another programme on climate change response.

Japan will also seriously contemplate other cooperation proposals of Vietnam, the minister noted, adding that he hopes the two countries will coordinate more closely at regional and international forums as well as Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement negotiations.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Vice President Doan shared Minister Kishida’s view on the importance of maintaining peace and stability and the full compliance with international law by relevant parties.

Also on March 15, she laid a wreath at the cenotaph to the victims of the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami at Sendai’s Arahama area.-VNA