President Truong Tan Sang and his wife in Vietnamese ao dai took photo with the Japanese Emperor and Empress.

This was President Truong Tan Sang’s first state visit to Japan since he took office and the second by a Vietnamese President since Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1973. Mr. Sang was the first foreign state leader guest of the Japanese Emperor this year.

High political trust

During his 3-day visit to Japan, President Sang had a busy working agenda in Tokyo, Ibaraki, and Osaka. He had a series of meetings with the Emperor, the Royal family, the Diet, government leaders, representatives of economic groups, business associations, Japanese friends of Vietnam, and Japanese farmers.

He addressed and delivered an impressive speech themed “Reform and innovation to adapt to a changing world” to the Japan’s Diet. His message expressed a willingness to consolidate friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had fruitful talks and issued a joint statement on the Vietnamese-Japanese extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. Mr. Sang said: “We agree to elevate the two countries’ relations. The new cooperative framework has reflected the strong and extensive growth in the Vietnamese-Japanese strategic partnership and set out major orientations for our relations in the future. I confirm that Vietnam has engaged in building a state governed by law, expanding democracy, enhancing administrative and judicial reform, and restructuring the economy and growth model.”

A landmark in Vietnamese-Japanese relations

President Sang held a range of dialogues with hundreds of leaders of Japanese economic groups and enterprises. Japanese businesspeople pledged to implement action plans for 6 high-priority industries in Vietnam’s Industrialization Strategy, support Vietnam’s specialized industrial zones, and renew the 2012 fiscal year preferential loan package worth 1.2 trillion USD for Vietnam’s 5 major projects.

The two countries signed many cooperative agreements in human resource development, science and technology, healthcare, culture, education, and agriculture. Japan agreed to support Vietnam in agricultural productivity and processing efficiency, management of food quality and safety, and use of high-technology and bio-technology in farming and animal raising. Tran Dinh Thien, Director of the Vietnam Economic Research Institute, said: “We focused on agricultural cooperation with a new approach from technology. It’s appropriate for Vietnam because we have shifted to high-technology agriculture and we made the important decision to make Japan our partner.”

President Sang’s visit successfully boosted people exchanges. He met with hundreds of Japanese friends of Vietnam, politicians, businesspeople, and representatives of friendship associations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said: “President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to Japan has great significance. He held talks with the Emperor, leaders of the Diet, groups of parliamentarians, and leaders of political parties. The agenda shows the scale of the Vietnamese-Japanese extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.”