In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the visit, slated for November 27-30, at the invitation of the Japanese State, the Japanese Ambassador said that in 2023, Japan and Vietnam celebrate 50 years of their diplomatic relations in the context that the relations between the two countries are developing strongly in various fields including politics, economy, and culture.
He said that he believes that President Vo Van Thuong's visit will be of historical significance and become one of the most prominent marks in the year marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties.
The visit is also an opportunity for the two countries to look back on their cooperation progress, he added.
According to the Japanese ambassador, to further promote the relations, Japan will continue to support Japanese companies to invest in Vietnam as its economy is growing amid a shift of supply chains
As Vietnam and Japan have advantages of training highly skilled human resources in the field of information technology, there is a great potential for the two countries to become innovation partners in green and digital transformation.
In addition, Japan also wishes to create momentum to restore ODA capital, especially in infrastructure cooperation.
Politically, Japan affirms that Vietnam is an important partner in realising the goal of "a free and open Indo-Pacific". While the situation in areas such as the East Sea becomes increasingly complicated, Japan will deepen cooperation to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the spirit of the rule of law.
Regarding people-to-people and cultural exchanges, the diplomat said that exchange activities and visits between the two countries' delegations at all levels are increasing rapidly, including the visits by state leaders. There are about 500,000 overseas Vietnamese people in Japan, he said, emphasised that the country will promote cultural, sports, and tourism exchanges between young generations and between localities of the two countries.
