Hanoi (VNA) – Japan attaches importance to strengthening the diplomatic ties with Vietnam, and its Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s upcoming official visit to Vietnam aims to further expand relations with the Southeast Asian nation, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki has stated.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the visit, the Japanese diplomat stressed that maintaining and strengthening diplomatic relations with Vietnam holds great significance in Japan’s foreign policy.
Expanding relations with Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, is also one of Japan's top diplomatic priorities, he said, adding that Shigeru’s visit is hoped to further strengthen personal trust with Vietnamese leaders and reaffirm Japan’s commitment to fostering bilateral cooperation in key areas such as security - defence, economy, and responses to regional and global challenges, the diplomat said.
Through this visit, which will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh, the Japanese government aims to actively promote high-level diplomacy towards realising the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy based on upholding the rules-based spirit, Naoki said.
The ambassador highlighted rapid reforms currently underway in Vietnam under the leadership of Party General Secretary To Lam as the country moves toward a new era, saying that this will be a valuable opportunity for Japan to further expand its cooperation with Vietnam, thus promoting the Southeast Asian nation’s remarkable development and growth, contributing to peace and prosperity in Asia and the world.
Regarding cooperation orientations that the two sides’s leaders will discuss during this visit, Naoki said in the Japan–Vietnam partnership, the Japanese government focuses on key pillars of economic, trade and investment cooperation; security collaboration, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Japan looks to further step up cooperation with Vietnam and reaffirms its commitment to being one of Vietnam’s leading important partner in the new era, the diplomat added.
As Vietnam strives to become a developed nation by 2045, cooperation between the two countries will be crucial to achieving this goal, he stated, noting that Japan will specifically intensify partnership with Vietnam in key new areas such as digital transformation, green transition, innovation, and science and technology, in line with the Southeast Asian nation's growing development demand.
During this visit, Japan and Vietnam are expected to have further discussions on the implementation of 15 Japanese investment projects worth up to 20 billion USD in renewable energy agreed between the two countries through the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, which was proposed by Japan, he said.
He noted that the reform process in Vietnam is expected to produce tangible results, thus facilitating Japanese enterprises’ investment and production here.
Naoki also pointed out the possibility of expanding cooperation in training high-quality human resources in semiconductor; defence industry and technology; labour; and tourism; and Japanese language training for Vietnamese, showing his confidence that Shigeru’s visit will create opportunities for deeper discussions to further promote cooperation in these fields.
The two countries will also cooperate more closely to address common challenges, he said, noting that this cooperation is becoming increasingly important, especially as global situation continues to evolve unpredictably.
According to the diplomat, Vietnam is pursuing a more proactive foreign policy at forums such as the United Nations and ASEAN, and Japan also wishes to further promote cooperation and alignment to support Vietnam's orientation.
Japan and Vietnam could also exchange views and measures to address the tariffs imposed by the US on the two nations, he said, adding that cooperation in international forums will be one of the main topics on the agenda during PM Shigeru’s visit to Vietnam./.
