In recent years, Japan has considered ASEAN a central element of cooperation in East Asia. The ASEAN-Japan cooperation has attained numerous achievements in all fields.

At the 21st ASEAN-Japan Summit in Singapore, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe affirmed the importance of ASEAN's role and agreed to foster a comprehensive collaboration with ASEAN and support the association’s central role as well as efforts to enhance regional cooperation and connectivity. 

Vietnam is the coordinating country for ASEAN-Japan relations from August 2018 to August 2021.

The Japanese Prime Minister introduced many cooperation initiatives such as a fund of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to support infrastructure cooperation in the region, high quality human resources development (about 80,000 people in five years), using opportunities from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, preventing plastic waste in the ocean, responding to natural disasters and climate change, and providing health care services for the public.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (fifth from left) and delegates from ASEAN member countries, China and South Korea at the 21st ASEAN Plus Three (ASEAN +3) Summit in Singapore in 2018. Photo: AFP/VNA  Vietnam News Agency General Director Nguyen Duc Loi interviewed Japanese PM Shinzo Abe about the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership in February. Photo: Thanh Huu/VNA  TMS Group held an investment promotion seminar in Fukuoka province, Japan in April to seek partners in real estate projects in Tokyo. Photos: Dao Tung & Thanh Huu/VNA The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union last December organized a cultural exchange between its members and members of the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program 2018. Photo: Xuan Du/VNA  A Japanese art performance at the 2019 Japan cherry blossom festival in Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Tung/VNA A Vietnam-Japan business networking event held in Ho Chi Minh City in April to boost trade between businesses of the two countries. Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA  A robot operation practice session at Saigon Hi-tech Park Training Center’s robot-automation hub, a Japanese ODA-funded project. Photo: Danh Lam/VNA

He lauded Singapore, Vietnam and Japan’s ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), expressing his hope for the soon finalization of negotiations for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

At the summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that ASEAN highly valued the support of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) in health care, the environment, natural disaster control, climate change, science and technology, and innovation.

ASEAN countries agreed to further promote the strong cooperation between the two sides and welcomed Japan to continue performing its active and responsible role in the region.  coordinating with ASEAN at forums chaired by the group, and contributing to promoting dialogues, building trust and strengthening cooperation on the basis of mutual benefits and respect.

In 1997, the late Japanese Prime Minister, Hashimoto Ryutaro, made a proposal to expand and further deepen dialogues between ASEAN and Japan in all fields and at all levels. The ASEAN +1 cooperative mechanism was officially launched to boost the East Asia connectivity. The previous irregular summit of ASEAN and Japan has become an annual event. The ASEAN-Japan Summit has been held 21 times since the first one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1997. These meetings have adopted specific action programs to build cooperative, friendly and effective relations between ASEAN and Japan.

As the coordinating country for ASEAN-Japan relations from August 2018 to August 2021, Vietnam will make great efforts to elevate the strategic partnership and comprehensive cooperation between the group and Japan for peace, stability and prosperity of the two sides and the whole region. Vietnam welcomes the Japanese Prime Minister’s plan to organize an ASEAN-Japan Day in Vietnam and is ready to work with Japan to successfully hold the event in 2019.

Vietnam continues to be an important investment destination for Japanese enterprises. Nearly 70% of Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam plan to expand their business as their revenues increased 88% in 2017, with 65.1% of the enterprises turning profits.  Source: Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

Story: VNP - Photos: VNP & VNA