Japan wants to cooperate with Vietnam on infrastructure construction and equipment supply projects for atomic power, express railways, oil and gas, civil plane manufacturing, mining and life insurance.

This desire was expressed at separate talks held in Tokyo between visiting Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc and Minister of Foreign Affairs Katsuya Okada, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Masayuki Naoshima, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Seiji Maehara and Minister of State for National Strategy Yoshito Sengoku of Japan.

Minister Phuc, who concluded an eight-day working visit to Japan on April 20, also worked with leaders of the Ministry of Finance, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).

The Japanese officials expressed their keen interest in the above-mentioned projects, emphasising their technical and financial advantages in those areas.

Minister Phuc hailed Japan ’s cooperation and assistance including its ODA provision of 1.64 billion USD to Vietnam in fiscal 2009 and pledged to effectively use this capital.

The minister highlighted Japan ’s technological and technical knowledge, noting that the Vietnamese Government has decided to apply the technology of the Shinkansen express railway.

He welcomed the Japanese companies’ participation in Vietnam ’s large-scale projects, expressing his hope that Japan will continue focusing on the implementation of other important special projects, including the construction of the North-South Expressway, the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, the Lach Huyen port in the northern port city of Hai Phong and terminal T2 of the Noi Bai airport.

Minister Phuc visited the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa atomic power plant and delivered a speech at the second Vietnam-Japan economic seminar jointly held by the International Friendship Exchange Council (FEC) and the Vietnamese embassy in Tokyo .

He also visited Hokkaido to seek cooperation on labour, fishing and tourism./.