February 23, 2023 is Japanese Emperor Naruhito's 63rd birthday. The celebration in Hanoi on February 23 was chaired by Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio.

Attending the Vietnamese side were Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang; Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member and Chairwoman of the CPV Central Committee’s Organisation Commission, Chairwoman of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Parliamentary Group; and a large number of attendees, representatives of ministries, mass organisations, according to VNA.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang speaks at the ceremony. Photo: VNA

Similarities in culture, historical linkage, and the friendly sentiments that people of Vietnam and Japan give each other as well as many shared interests have closely connected the two nations, stated Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang at the ceremony.

Extending greetings to the Emperor, the Empress, the Royal Family as well as the Government and people of Japan, Quang underlined that the relations between Vietnam and Japan were initiated in the eighth century when “Phat Triet” (Buttetsu) who came from Champa, an ancient kingdom that extended across the coast of what is today central Vietnam, introduced Rinyu-gaku – a composite ritual art comprising orchestral music and dance – to Japan.

Japanese merchant boats came to Hoi An in the 16th century, contributing to the formation of the bustling trading area in Vietnam and leading to the romantic love story between Japanese trader Araki Sorato and Vietnamese Princess Ngoc Hoa, he said.

The Deputy PM noted that Japan is one of the first countries to set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam. The bilateral ties have grown fast and strongly across all fields, especially as the two sides established their extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia in 2014, he said.

He emphasized that Japan has always been one of its leading strategic partners in Vietnam, with regular exchanges of delegations at high and all levels. The two countries provided practical and helpful support to each other during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, adding that Japan is the largest ODA provider of Vietnam and the second biggest partner in labor, third in investment and tourism, and fourth in trade.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang; Truong Thi Mai, Chairwoman of the CPV Central Committee’s Organisation Commission, Chairwoman of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Parliamentary Group; and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio.

Local cooperation is a bright spot in the bilateral ties with more than 70 pairs of localities sharing cooperation agreements. Currently, the nearly 500,000-strong Vietnamese community in Japan has become the second largest foreign one in the country, he noted.

Deputy PM Quang said that Vietnam and Japan have coordinated closely at multilateral forums and mechanisms at regional and global levels such as the UN and Mekong Sub-Region, while working closely in economy and trade facilitation through the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The Vietnam-Japan relationship is in prime time with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties this year, he said, expressing his belief that the bilateral extensive strategic partnership will enter a new development period with more comprehensive, effective and sustainable partnership, meeting the aspirations and interest of the people of both sides and contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Japanese Ambassador Yamada Takio said that the Japan-Vietnam relationship is at its peak in history. Despite changes in the region and the world, the two sides have still considered each other as an important strategic partner and expanding their ties to all fields.

The diplomat affirmed that Japan hopes to work with Vietnam in promoting activities for peace and prosperity in the region, underlining that Vietnam is one of the important partners in the implementation of Japan’s free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.

Expressing his hope that Japanese firms will increase investment in Vietnam and launch new projects, the diplomat said that this will create a positive circulation for each country’s economy.

In 2023, along with investment and trade, Japan aims to beef up bilateral ties in the fields of infrastructure, ODA, digital transformation, green transition, industrialization and modernization, and human resources development to create momentum for the growth of the ties, he said.

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