Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 9 received the Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, Toshihiro Nikai, currently on an official visit to Vietnam.

 The LDP secretary general, who is also President of the Japan–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Union, highlighted the official visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Japan last September as a milestone and opened up a new era in bilateral relations between the two countries.  

 The political trust between the two nations serves as a firm foundation for the effective and mutually beneficial cooperation between them, Nikai told his host.

 Nikai affirmed that the LDP in its role as the ruling party of Japan, will constantly prioritise the partnership and relationship with Vietnam in its foreign affair and pledged to promote exchanges and cooperation with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

 Party leader Trong expressed delight at the vigorous growth of relations between Vietnam and Japan, saying Vietnam regards Japan as one of its most important and long-term partners in all fields of cooperation. 

 He also hailed the great contributions by the LDP Secretary General in his role as the president of the Japan–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Union and in the development of the friendship associations of the two countries.

 Meeting with the LDP General Secretary the same day, PM Phuc said Vietnam welcomes and is considering Japan’s proposal on establishing a representative office of its Tourism Promotion Agency in the country. 

He suggested Japan should ease visa rules and move towards visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens travelling to Japan for tourism and study while displaying his hope for stronger tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

 Vietnamese government leader also applauded the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Union’s contributions to promoting bilateral ties between the two countries, and urged the two legislative bodies to intensify exchanges of high-level delegations and cooperation. 

 He wished the LDP and Japanese parliamentarians would help in persuading the Japanese government to maintain ODA provision to Vietnam. 

 For his part, Nikai said the Japan-Vietnam parliamentary friendship union and its Vietnamese counterpart both play an important role in advancing cooperation between the two countries and affirmed he will do all he can to develop the relationship. 

Nikai said that he will convey the PM’s recommendations to relevant government agencies to find solutions for implementation as soon as possible. 

 He also affirmed his nation's willingness to join hands with Vietnam in multitude of fields in the time ahead.

 National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with Toshihiro Nikai, Secretary General of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and other Japanese legislators in Hanoi on September 8.

Congratulating Toshihiro Nikai on his appointment as the LDP Secretary General, Ngan said she believes that the LDP will continue actively contributing to Japan’s development and the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries. 

She affirmed that the Vietnamese NA will provide more favourable conditions for cooperation and exchanges between the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Union, which is headed by Toshihiro Nikai, and the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians Group. 

Rejoicing at the flourishing “extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia” of Vietnam and Japan, she highly valued the outcomes of the discussion between the countries’ parliamentarians, who looked into potential cooperation aspects like agriculture, climate change, environment and natural disaster prevention. 

Chairwoman Ngan applauded the initiative to organise Japanese flower festivals in Vietnam and the “lotus exchange” between the countries parliamentarians, noting that those activities demonstrate the two peoples’ cultural similarities and “soul connection”. 

She also voiced the delight that the Vietnam-Japan University, a project promoted by the Japan-Vietnam parliamentarians union, have become operational. She expressed the belief that the school will soon become a leading university that can supply high-quality manpower for her country and the region. 

For his part, Toshihiro Nikai informed his host about the outcomes of Japanese parliamentarians’ discussion with their Vietnamese counterparts, noting that the Japanese delegation will actively consider the proposal of easing the visa regulations for Vietnamese citizens. 

The two sides also agreed to effectively enhance cooperation between the Japanese and Vietnamese legislatures, he added. 

At the meeting, some Japanese parliamentarians also voiced pleasure of reinforced bilateral ties and asked for more collaboration between the countries’ legislative bodies, peoples, localities and businesses. They said Japan is ready to assist Vietnam to cope with climate change challenges.

Earlier on the day, the Japanese legislators met their Vietnamese peers at a talk on cooperation in agriculture, tourism and climate change.

Toshihiro Nikai said in the coming time, Japan wants to work with Vietnam on projects engaging in agro-forestry products, irrigation works, among others. 

The legislators suggested that Vietnam and Japan continue work together in implementing the Mid-Term and Long-Term Joint Vision on Agricultural Cooperation (2015-2019). 

Focus should be put on enhancing productivity and added value, food processing, climate change, high-quality human resource training, they said.