Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received a number of Japanese officialsand met with local businesses in Tokyo on October 31, the second day ofhis four-day official visit to Japan.
At a reception for President of the Communist Party of Japan (CPJ)Kazuo Shii, PM Dung extended his sympathy to the Japanese people overserious losses caused by the March earthquake and tsunami, expressinghis belief that they will soon overcome their current difficulties tocontinue building a prosperous country.
Hestressed that one of the top priorities in Vietnam ’s foreign policyis to continue strengthening and consolidating its strategic partnershipwith Japan .
PM Dung said he is pleased withpositive developments in the relations between the CPJ and the CommunistParty of Vietnam (CPV) over the past time, adding that exchangeactivities such as the fourth theoretical discussion in Hanoi inlate October contribute greatly to deepening the cooperation between thetwo parties.
For his part, Kazuo Shiicongratulated Vietnam on achievements it has made during 25 years ofrenewal and affirmed the CPJ’s support for fostering the cooperationbetween the two countries.
On the same day, theVietnamese Government leader received Japanese Minister of Economics,Trade and Industry (METI) Yukio Edano.
PM Dungspoke highly of active cooperation of the METI an and the Ministerhimself so that the two sides can sign important cooperative documentsduring this visit.
As the two countries still have agreat potential for cooperation, Dung suggested the METI work closelywith Vietnam’s relevant ministries and agencies to further boostbilateral ties, especially in economics, trade and investment.
Minister Edano affirmed that his ministry will closely coordinate withrelevant Vietnamese ministries and agencies in implementing agreementsreached by the two countries’ leaders, particularly in rare-earthexploration, exploration and processing, and the compilation of thefeasibility study for the Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power project.
He said that the Japanese side will join hands with Vietnamesepartners to develop specilised industrial zones in the northern city ofHai Phong and the southern province of Vung Tau with prioritygiven to mechanical engineering and electronics.
Meeting with representatives from the Japan-Vietnam FriendshipParliamentarians’ League (JVFPL) under the ruling Democratic Party ofJapan (DPJ), Prime Minister Dung said the league’s effective andpractical activities have helped strengthen the strategic partnershipbetween the two countries.
The PM expressed hiswish that Japan will continue to provide support for Vietnam ,especially in infrastructure, support industry and human resourcetraining projects.
The JVFPL representativewelcomed PM Dung’s visit and affirmed the league will work for strongercooperation with Vietnam .
In a dialogue the sameday with Japanese businesses, the Vietnamese PM appreciated the JapanFederation of Economic Organisations (Keidanren)’s efforts in promotingthe economic, trade and investment cooperation between the twocountries.
He affirmed that the Vietnamesegovernment is paying attention to training human resources and improvinginfrastructure and business environment in order to ensure thatVietnam is a safe and attractive destination for internationalinvestors, including those from Japan .
Vietnamalways encourages Japanese businesses to increase investment in thecountry for the common development of the two nations, he stressed.
By the end of October 2011, Japan had more than 1,600 valid FDIprojects with a total registered investment of 22.3 billion USD, rankingfourth among 92 countries and territories investing in Vietnam .
Many large Japanese groups have been present in Vietnam withprestigious, competitive and hi-tech products, including Sumitomo,Toyota , Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Toshiba./.