In a reception for Vice Governor of Japan's Wakayama Prefecture Shimo Hiroshi in Hanoi on October 6, the official highlighted that the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership is in prime time with high political trust despite impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and underlined that Japan has been a leading important economic partner of Vietnam.

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) receives Vice Governor of Japan's Wakayama Prefecture Shimo Hiroshi.

Bilateral economic, trade, investment, labour and education-training has been fruitful, he noted.

The Deputy PM said that partnership between localities of the two countries has been deepened.

He said he hopes Wakayama will continue to effectively implement signed agreements with Vietnam, establish partnership with more Vietnamese localities, encourage local businesses to invest more in Vietnam, strengthen cooperation in personnel training, and expand the reception of Vietnamese practitioners and labourers to work in the prefecture.

For his part, the Japanese official said the prefecture is implementing an agricultural and fisheries cooperation agreement with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and a deal in in the field of industry with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The locality has also strengthened people-to-people exchange with Vietnam, including a “lotus” exchange programme between Kinokawa city and Quang Nam province, which was initiated by the Chairman of the Japan – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Nikai Toshihiro, aiming to make lotus a symbol of spiritual connections between Vietnamese and Japanese people, he said.

He added that Wakayama is hastening the formation of a Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in the locality and he will be the first leader of the association.

Vietnam-Japan Extensive Strategic Partnership

The Vietnam-Japan relationship has been on the rise. Japan is Vietnam's leading official development assistance provider, third largest investor, third biggest source of tourists, and fourth trade partner of the Southeast Asian nation.

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Source: VNA