Tokyo, (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhreceived former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo on December 17 on theoccasion of his trip to Tokyo to attend the Commemorative Summit forthe 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
PM Chinh expressed his impression of the theory “From heart to heart” initiatedby PM Fukuda Takeo, the father of former PM Fukuda Yasuo, in 1977, which laidthe foundation for the development of the ASEAN-Japan relationship.
He praised the contributions of the former PM to thefriendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in his capacity as the PMof Japan as well as in different positions. He asked Fukuda to continue supportthe Vietnam-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership, and invited him to visitVietnam again.
The former Japanese PM appreciated Vietnam’s role andcontributions in the region and the world as a whole, and affirmed that theJapanese Government is willing to work in Vietnam in its modernization and industrializationcause.
Fukuda said Japan considers promoting cooperation withAsian countries, including Vietnam, especially in human resources, a priorityin its external relations, and wants to continue collaborating with Vietnam andreceive more labour from Vietnam.
He pledged to continue working to further tighten thefriendship and enhance mutual understanding between the people of Vietnam andJapan through cultural and people-to-people exchanges. He added that he willcontinue to support the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan in organising the VietnamFestival in Tokyo in the years to come./.