(VOVworld) – Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have begun their first state-level visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang. The 5-day visit to Vietnam by the Japanese royal couple marks a milestone in the history of bilateral friendship and cooperation.
The Emperor and Empress are a noble symbol of Japan and its people’s unity. They only make a visit on special occasions to Japan’s close partners. The Emperor, who has a fine bonding with Vietnam, supports other royal family members conducting exchanges with Vietnam.
This visit by Japan’s royal couple has a symbolic meaning and elevates the Extensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Lasting relationship
Vietnam-Japan ties date back a long time. In the 8th century, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk named Phat Triet traveled to Japan to preach and teach the music of Lam Ap, a kingdom in what today is central Vietnam. He was worshipped by locals at the Dai An pagoda in Nara city. In the 16th and 17th century, Japanese merchants traded in Hoi An. A Japanese bridge and graves remain as vestiges of that time.
Since 1992, economic, political, and culture relations between the two countries have steadily expanded, consolidating mutual understanding and trust. Japan was the first G7 country to welcome a visit by Vietnam’s Communist Party chief in 1995, establish a Strategic Partnership with Vietnam in 2009, recognize Vietnam’s market economy in 2011, and invite Vietnam to the expanded G7 summit in 2016. Bilateral ties were upgraded from “trustworthy partnership, lasting stability” in 2002 to “extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia” in 2014. One year later, during an official visit to Japan, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a “Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam-Japan Relations.”
The two countries work closely with each other at multilateral forums: the UN, ASEAN, APEC, and ASEM. Vietnam supports Japan’s non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council in the 2016-2017 term and is committed to supporting for Japan’s candidacy for permanent membership on the Council. Japan is committed to ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and fly over in the East Sea, the peaceful resolution of disputes without the use of force, and opposing unilateral acts that might change the status-quo in the East Sea.
Boosting the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership
The Vietnam visit by the Japanese Emperor and Empress comes amidst warmer relations between the two countries. Japan is now Vietnam’s top economic partner, biggest ODA provider, and second largest foreign direct investor. The visit follows Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Vietnam in January.