A ceremony was held in the central city of Da Nang on January 13 to kick off a series of workshops and forums on economic, labour and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

The Vietnamese people association in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture officially made debut in the locality on January 12, helping ensure policies for Vietnamese expatriates and promote solidarity among them.

A cultural exchange night between Vietnam and Japan took place in the central coastal city of Da Nang on January 12 with the attendance of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan Nikai Toshihiro.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Secretary-General of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) Nikai Toshihiro, who also chairs the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, on January 12.

The central city of Da Nang will step up cooperation with its Japanese partners to promote investment, trade, tourism, education and cultural exchanges with the Japanese side, a municipal leader has said.

Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh on January 11 received visiting Secretary General of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party Nikai Toshihiro.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on January 10 stressed ASEAN’s central role and described this as an essential driver of development in the whole Indo-Pacific region.

Japan’s recent decision of importing Vietnamese “thieu” lychee is expected to open new doors for this fruit, according to Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Japan Ta Duc Minh.

Vietnam always attaches importance to the relations of friendship and cooperation with Japan, taking it as the country’s long-term partner of top importance, a leading Party official said on January 8.

Japan's Aozora Bank plans to take a 15 percent stake in Vietnam’s Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (OCB) in April 2020, marking its first overseas deal since 2001.

Japanese global apparel retailer UNIQLO on January 7 announced the location of its first store in Hanoi, set to open in spring this year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Japanese FM Motegi Toshimitsu expressed their delight at the impressive development of the Vietnam – Japan extensive strategic partnership over the past years, during their talks in Hanoi on January 6.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on January 6 for Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu, who is on an official visit to Vietnam.

Government-backed development banks of Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have signed an agreement with public and private financial institutions in Southeast Asia to meet growing demand for infrastructure projects in the fast-growing region.