Vietnam-Japan relations thrive thanks to people-based bridge-building

Professor-Doctor Furuta Motoo, Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association and Founding Rector of the Vietnam-Japan University (Photo: Vietnam National University, Hanoi)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam-Japan relations have seen strong progress across the field since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, which is partly attributable to the bridge-building role of many individuals and organisations.

Professor-Doctor Furuta Motoo, Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association (JVFA) and Founding Rector of the Vietnam-Japan University, is one such individual.

The JVFA was set up in 1955 with the goal of promoting the friendship between the people of the two countries, he said, adding that with the rapid increase in the number of Vietnamese living in Japan, one of the main activities of the association now is to support the overseas Vietnamese community in Japan.

With an expansive network of chapters, the association has organised diverse exchange activities such as Vietnamese language classes, gatherings on the occasion of Vietnamese traditional lunar new year, film screenings, music and cuisine festivals.

As Founding Rector of the Vietnam-Japan University, Prof Furuta said the university aims to become a leading research university in Asia.

In July 2017, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) established the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Centre to organise and support joint scientific research and technological transfer programmes between Vietnam and Japan. The centre also works to promote bilateral economic and cultural exchange activities.

Director of the Centre Bui Khac Son, who is also deputy head of VUFO and standing vice chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association, said the centre aims to become a reliable bridge connecting the business communities of the two countries.

According to Son, the centre will focus on facilitating business partnership in market research, personnel training, technology transfer, agriculture and industries using renewable energy.

Besides, the centre also plans other cultural and sport events such as making a film on agriculturalist Luong Dinh Cua who was trained in Japan, and holding a friendship golf tournament.

For Syoei Utsuda, President of the Vietnam Friendship Association in Japan, Vietnam has become familiar to Japanese people. At present, more than 260,000 Vietnamese are living in Japan, with the number of student and trainees rising rapidly.

According to Utsuda, his association has engaged in many support activities targeting the overseas Vietnamese in Japan. It hosted a conference last August on the theme of spiritual support for Vietnamese in Japan.-VNA