Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his wife arrive in Hanoi, their first visit to Vietnam

This afternoon, the plane carrying Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his wife Ishiba Yoshiko and the Japanese delegation arrived in Hanoi, starting an official visit to Vietnam from April 27-29.

The visit took place at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran.

Welcoming the Japanese Prime Minister and his wife at the airport were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu; and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu.

Accompanying Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru were: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Aoki Kazuhiko; Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Nagashima Akihisa; Secretary General of the National Security Council of Japan, Okano Masataka; Special Advisors to the Prime Minister: Mori Masafumi, Iijima Isao; Secretaries to the Prime Minister: Tsuchimichi Akihiro, Tanaka Mao, Nakashima Akihiro, Inoue Hiroo, Yoshino Koji, Kaihara Kentaro; Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his wife arrive in Hanoi. Photo: VNA

The visit of Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru is of great significance, being his first visit to Vietnam after the two countries upgraded their relationship to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World”.

Vietnam-Japan relations continue to develop substantially and comprehensively in all areas after more than a year of upgrading the relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; in which political trust continues to be consolidated and economic cooperation continues to be the main pillar.

Japan continues to be Vietnam's leading economic partner, with cooperation in new areas such as green transformation and digital transformation progressing with many specific projects.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki said that Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru's visit to Vietnam this time aims to strengthen relations with the Southeast Asian region, because this is the growth center of the world economy and is located in an important strategic position. This is also one of the top priorities of Japanese diplomacy, especially with Vietnam.

The Japanese Government also hopes that this visit will be an opportunity for Japanese leaders, specifically Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, to continue to strengthen the relationship of personal trust with Vietnamese leaders, as well as affirm the enhancement of bilateral cooperation in areas such as: National defense and security, economy, and response to regional and international challenges.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, the leaders of the two countries will focus on in-depth discussions on strategic cooperation areas. Japan continues to support and assist Vietnam in implementing three strategic breakthroughs in institutions, infrastructure and human resources, helping Vietnam industrialize and modernize. In particular, economic - trade - investment cooperation is the most important pillar in bilateral relations.

The two sides strive to soon open the market for Vietnamese grapefruit and Japanese grapes; at the same time, they discuss the possibility of continuing to open the market for other fruits and agricultural products of the two sides such as Vietnamese passion fruit and Japanese peaches...

Besides, the two sides will discuss new pillars in the cooperation between the two countries to suit the new situation.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/thu-tuong-nhat-ban-ishiba-shigeru-va-phu-nhan-den-ha-noi-lan-dau-tham-viet-nam-2395724.html