Hanoi (VNA) - Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae arrived in Hanoi on the evening of May 1, starting her official visit to Vietnam from May 1–3 at the invitation of Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Welcoming the delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were Minister - Chairman of the Government Office Dang Xuan Phong; Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu; Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu; among others.
Accompanying Prime Minister Takaichi are senior Japanese officials, including Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sato Kei; Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat Ichikawa Keiichi; Prime Minister’s aides and advisers; and deputy ministers from key ministries such as foreign affairs, economy, trade and industry, agriculture, defence, transport, and internal affairs and communications.
Born on March 7, 1961 in Nara prefecture, PM Takaichi was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 and held various key positions, including Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and Minister in charge of economic security. Since October 4, 2025, she has served as the 29th President of the Liberal Democratic Party, and became Japan’s 104th Prime Minister on October 21, 2025.
According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, the visit carries significant importance, demonstrating Japan’s high regard for the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as both countries enter a new stage of development.
He noted that Vietnam is the first country in the region visited by PM Takaichi following her re-election in February 2026, reflecting Vietnam’s important position in Japan’s regional policy.
The visit is expected to further strengthen political trust, enhance high-level strategic exchanges, and inject new momentum into bilateral cooperation, making it more substantive and effective.
Discussions are set to focus on priority areas aligned with the strengths of both sides, including economic cooperation, science and technology, innovation, energy and food security, semiconductor production, artificial intelligence (AI), green transition, high-quality human resources development, tourism, local-level cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as closer coordination on regional and international issues of mutual concern. In addition to science and technology, key areas of interest include energy cooperation, smart and high-tech agriculture, infrastructure development, and strengthening resilient supply chains.
Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki said this marks PM Takaichi’s second visit to Vietnam, following her previous trip in 2020 when she served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
He affirmed that Japan looks forward to strengthening ties with Vietnam’s leaders, including Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man. The visit will provide an opportunity to reaffirm enhanced coordination under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework and to address regional and global challenges.
A series of high-level meetings are expected to take place, covering issues such as energy, economic security, rare earths, and people-to-people and academic exchanges between the two countries, he said./.
