Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) and his Japanese counterpart Ishiba Shigeru inspect the guard of honour. (Photo: VNA)  

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an official welcome ceremony in Hanoi on April 28 morning for Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his spouse who are on a three-day official visit to Vietnam.

This is the Japanese PM’s first visit to Vietnam since he took office, and also his first since the two nations upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World in November 2023.

After the welcome ceremony, the PMs visited a photo exhibition featuring Vietnam and its people as well as good relations between Vietnam and Japan, which was jointly organised by the Government Office and the Vietnam News Agency. The two leaders then held talks.

Since establishing diplomatic ties on September 21, 1973, Vietnam and Japan have nurtured a comprehensive and dynamic relationship, exemplifying Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification and multilateralisation of international relations.

Japan stands as Vietnam’s largest bilateral supplier of official development assistance (ODA), the top partner in labour cooperation, the third largest foreign investor, and the fourth largest partner in trade and tourism. Bilateral trade reached 47.6 billion USD in 2022, 44.98 billion USD in 2023, and 46.2 billion USD in 2024, and 12 billion USD in the first quarter of 2025 alone.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu said that during this visit, the two countries’ leaders will delve into strategic areas, with Japan continuing to support Vietnam’s pursuit of its three strategic breakthroughs: institutional reform, infrastructure development, and human resource training – essential pillars in Vietnam’s path toward industrialisation and modernisation.

Economic cooperation will be a central focus, with both sides aiming to improve the investment environment, strengthen supply chain resilience, and expand market access. Key discussions will include opening the Japanese market to Vietnamese pomelo and the Vietnamese market to Japanese grapes, with potential for further trade in fruits such as Vietnamese passion fruit and Japanese peach.

Both sides are looking to build new pillars of cooperation, including science - technology, digital transformation, green transition, and new energy. A high-level cooperation forum co-chaired by the two PMs is expected drive progress in these emerging sectors.

They will also work towards greater coordination in other potential fields such as disaster prevention, climate change adaptation, environmental protection, and emissions reduction.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki highlighted Southeast Asia's role as a dynamic growth hub, with Vietnam’s vibrant economy and population of over 100 million making it a priority in Japan's diplomatic strategy. The visit is also meant to reinforce Japan’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific grounded in international law.

The Japanese PM’s trip is expected to further consolidate the deep-rooted friendship between people of the two nations while laying a solid foundation for the sustainable and strong development of Vietnam – Japan relations./.