Important highlights in the year celebrating 50 years of Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relations

This is the first official visit to Japan by President Vo Van Thuong as Head of State and the fourth visit to Japan by Vietnamese Presidents since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

The visit is of great significance, a highlight in the year commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations (1973 - 2023), marking the 9th anniversary of the two countries upgrading to an Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia.

Vietnam - Japan relations have achieved strong developments in all areas in recent times. Exchange activities, including high-level and all-level delegation exchanges, have been held and promoted. In 2023 alone, so far, high-level delegation exchanges between the two countries have been vibrant: On the Vietnamese side, there was a visit by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (May 2023); On the Japanese side, there was a visit by Crown Prince Akishino and Princess (September 2023), and President of the House of Councilors of Japan Otsuji Hidehisa (September 2023).

Japan continues to be Vietnam's leading economic partner, providing the largest ODA grant; the second largest partner in labor cooperation, the third largest in tourism investment and the fourth largest in trade.

Cooperation between localities of the two countries has been continuously promoted and to date, there are about 100 pairs of relations between localities of Vietnam and Japan.

Educational, cultural, artistic, sports and people-to-people exchange activities also took place vigorously. Many large-scale cultural exchange events were expected by the people of the two countries, such as the Vietnam Festival in Japan and the Opera "Princess Anio."

Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Vice President of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association, said that the Vietnam - Japan friendship and cooperation relationship over the past 50 years has been continuously developing well. This is a relationship built on the foundation of friendship and people-to-people exchange between the two countries from many centuries ago, leaving valuable legacies for today's generation. And since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973, the relationship between the two countries has been constantly strengthened and cultivated on high political trust and effective, practical economic cooperation.

Japan is currently Vietnam's leading important partner in all fields of politics, economics, defense - security, culture, education, labor, tourism... Japan is the first G7 country to welcome the General Secretary of Vietnam to visit (in 1995), establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam (in 2009), recognize Vietnam's market economy status (in 2011), and invite Vietnam to attend the expanded G7 Summit (May 2016).

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, Vietnam and Japan have successively established the framework of relations from Trusted and Stable Long-term Partnership in 2002 to Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2009 and Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2014.

According to Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh, what has created the "glue" that has bonded the two countries over the past half century is their complementary interests.

Accordingly, the process of innovation and national development of Vietnam requires investment capital, high technology, quality human resources as well as experience in industrialization and modernization. And Japan is a reliable partner, ready to share and support Vietnam in terms of ODA capital (official development assistance), FDI (foreign direct investment), high technology, human resource training as well as sharing experience in national development through helping Vietnam build and perfect its policy institutions, laws, and improve the investment environment.

Meanwhile, Japan sees Vietnam as a friendly partner with many similarities and can supplement human resources, in the context of Japan's increasingly aging population. Vietnam is in the "golden population" period, ready to provide labor as well as human resources for Japanese companies investing in Vietnam as well as in Japan.

As a country with limited natural resources, Japan needs partners like Vietnam - a country with abundant natural resources, providing raw materials for industrial production as well as supplying agricultural products such as food.

Vietnam is also a partner that Japan needs to strengthen cooperation with as Vietnam has an important geopolitical and geo-economic position, located on an international air, road and maritime traffic axis, and has signed many new-generation trade agreements with many major partners in the world. These advantages are the basis for Japan to increase investment, build factories in Vietnam, and consider Vietnam as a gateway, a short route for Japanese goods to reach the world.

According to Dr. Tomotaka Shoji, Director of the Regional Research Division of the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the two countries can establish and maintain a strong bilateral relationship thanks to geographical proximity, economic complementarity and converging strategic interests... He said that the first strength is economic cooperation, emphasizing that bilateral cooperation in this field has made extremely strong progress. Japan has long attached importance to economic cooperation in its foreign policy.

With the close, effective and constantly developing cooperative relationship, the official visit to Japan by President Vo Van Thuong is expected by experts, scholars and public opinion of both countries to not only be an important highlight in the year celebrating the 50th anniversary of Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relations, but also to open a new and very good phase in the relationship between the two countries.

Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh said he expected that during the visit, President Vo Van Thuong and Japanese leaders would discuss measures to not only strengthen existing cooperative relations but also open up cooperation in new areas of mutual interest such as climate change response, green transformation, digital transformation, etc.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio said that, in addition to looking back at the progress in Japan-Vietnam relations up to now, the visit also conveyed the message that cooperation between Japan and Vietnam is not only a bilateral relationship but is becoming a relationship that can jointly contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and the world.

According to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang, it is expected that within the framework of the visit, President Vo Van Thuong will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio; meet with the Emperor and Empress of Japan; meet with senior Japanese leaders, speak at the Japanese Parliament and attend the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations as well as participate in a number of other important activities.

Sharing his opinion on the event of the President's speech before the Japanese Parliament, Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh said that this is a very special event. Each year, the Japanese Parliament usually only arranges to invite 1-2 foreign heads of state and high-ranking leaders to give speeches. Therefore, the President's speech before the Japanese Parliament is an opportunity for Vietnamese leaders to deliver important messages about the relationship between the two countries to Japanese politicians and public opinion as well as to the world.

Over the past half century, Vietnam - Japan relations have developed strongly, comprehensively and substantially in all areas with high trust. President Vo Van Thuong's visit to Japan once again affirmed the determination of the two countries' leaders in continuously developing and deepening political, diplomatic, economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries under the motto "Sincerity, Affection and Trust".