Japanese Emperor Akihito visits Vietnam in 2017. — VNA/VNS Photo

The PM’s attendance reflects Vietnam’s appreciation for the Vietnam – Japan extensive strategic partnership and significant progress in bilateral ties.

Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic ties on September 21, 1973. During a State visit to Japan by President Truong Tan Sang in March 2014, the two countries upgraded ties to the level of extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

Their leaders maintained regular visits and exchanges at regional and global forums, with Emperor Akihito’s Vietnam visit in 2017, President Tran Dai Quang’s Japan visit in May 2018, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s attendance at the G7 Summit in May 2016, official visit in June 2017, and presence at the Mekong – Japan Summit in October 2018.

Both sides held a number of meetings of the Vietnam– Japan Cooperation Committee, the Vietnam– Japan strategic partnership dialogue on diplomacy – security – national defence at the deputy ministerial level, the deputy ministerial-level national defence policy dialogue, the deputy ministerial-level security dialogue, the Joint Committee on Trade, Energy and Industry, the ministerial-level agriculture dialogue.

Last year, Japan was Vietnam’s top important economic partner, the largest supplier of Official Development Assistance (ODA), the second largest investor and the fourth largest trade partner. Two-way trade reached US$29.16 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 5.6 per cent annually. Of the figure, $14.98 billion was Vietnam’s exports, up 8 per cent year-on-year and the remaining up 3.3 per cent.

As of September 2019, Japan had more than 4,200 valid projects worth $60.36 billion in Vietnam, ranking second among 132 countries and territories investing in the country.

In 2018, the two countries signed three diplomatic notes on the exchange of non-refundable aid worth around $34 million. Japan committed a loan of roughly $142 million to vocational training in Vietnam.

Since 1992, Vietnam has sent a number of trainees to Japan, becoming the largest source of trainees for the country with about 160,000 people. Vietnam sent 470 nurses and caregivers to Japan under a Memorandum of Understanding on Japan’s reception of Vietnamese health workers.

VNF ( VNS )