Vietnam president arrives in Japan for official visit

President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse arrived at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo on Sunday evening (local time), starting their official visit to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese State.

They were welcomed at the airport by Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio, officials of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Japan.

President Thuong's visit will be of historic significance and one of the most prominent milestones in the year, marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties, according to Ambassador Yamada Takio.

The visit conveys a message that the cooperation between Japan and Vietnam is not only a bilateral relationship but also contributes to peace and prosperity in the region and the world, he said.

Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu said that the Vietnamese president's visit is an opportunity for senior leaders of the two countries to exchange and agree on major directions to bring the Vietnam-Japan Extensive Strategic Partnership to a new stage of stronger, more comprehensive, substantive and effective development, contributing positively to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

As scheduled, President Thuong will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, meet with the Japanese Emperor and Empress and high-ranking leaders of the host country. He is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Japanese National Diet and attend a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.

Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations on September 21, 1973, and a strategic partnership in 2009. In 2014, the two countries set up an extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

Japan is the first G7 country to recognize Vietnam's market economy status and has twice invited Vietnam to attend the expanded G7 Summit. Vietnam and Japan have high political trust and increasingly close regional links, and share common views on many regional and international cooperation issues.

The "land of the rising sun" is Vietnam's leading economic partner, ranking first in providing official development assistance (ODA), second in labor cooperation, third in investment and tourism, and fourth in trade.

Bilateral trade turnover in 2022 reached nearly $50 billion, of which Vietnam’s exports were valued at $24.2 billion and its imports $23.4 billion.