Japanese Emperor’s Vietnam visit attracts media attention
Hanoi
(VNA) – The visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress to Vietnam from February
28 to March 5 has received a lot of attention from the world media.
On March 1, many
major Japanese newspapers carried on the front page the warm welcome given to
the Japanese royal couple in Vietnam.
The Kyodo News quoted Emperor Akihito as saying
at a State banquet hosted by President Tran Dai Quang on March 1 evening that "It is my sincere hope that our visit
will contribute to further deepening our mutual understanding and strengthening
the ties of friendly relations between the people of Vietnam and the people of
Japan."
Japanese media
highlighted that Vietnam and Japan are strategic partners and Japan is
currently the top economic partner and the largest ODA provider of Vietnam.
Some cited
comments by political analyst Le Hong Hiep at Singapore’s Institute for South
East Asia Studies, noting that this is the first visit by a Japanese Emperor to
Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic ties. In addition, it
took place less than two months after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
visited Hanoi, which showed the close ties and high mutual trust between the
two nations.
Public
broadcaster NHK said the Emperor and Empress’s visit added freshness and made
the Vietnam-Japan ties more complete.
Talking to the French news agency AFP, Yuji Otabe, professor at Shizuoka University
of Welfare and expert on Japanese modern history said, "This is a very
meaningful visit for both Japan and Vietnam as the emperor, who is expected to
retire soon, shows his deep sympathy towards people who suffered from history."-VNA