The document was signed following talks in Tokyo on December 5 between Tran Thanh Man, chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam and Sekiguchi Masakazu, president of the House of Councillors of Japan.

Man affirmed that Vietnam regards Japan as a top and long-term strategic partner. He noted that relations between the two countries are currently at their best, characterized by high political trust and close, comprehensive exchanges at all levels.

Masakazu welcomed Man’s visit to Japan, and at the same time extended his sympathy for the damage recently caused by Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam, emphasizing Japan’s unwavering support for the country during difficult times.

Regarding bilateral relations, Masakazu noted that 2024 marks a new beginning for 50 years of cooperation between the two countries. He affirmed the Japanese House of Councillors’ commitment to contributing actively to the development of bilateral relations.

Both leaders expressed delight at the significant and substantive progress in Vietnam–Japan relations, particularly in economic, trade, investment, labour, human resource training, cultural exchanges, people-to-people connections, and local partnerships.

Man highly valued economic, trade, and investment ties between the two countries, highlighting Japan as Vietnam’s leading economic partner, the largest ODA donor, the second largest labour cooperation partner, the third largest investor, and a key tourism and trade partner.

He expressed gratitude for Japan’s ODA support over the past 30 years and called for continued implementation of new-generation ODA with high preferential terms and simplified procedures for Vietnam’s strategic infrastructure projects.

He also sought Japan’s support in advancing Vietnam’s industrialization and modernization, building an independent and self-reliant economy with deep international integration, and achieving strategic breakthroughs in infrastructure, institutions, and human resources.

Man welcomed Japan’s new policies on foreign labour, particularly the transition to a “training-work” model instead of the traditional “technical intern” system. He urged Japan to expand professions and increase the number of Vietnamese trainees, improve living and working conditions for Vietnamese residents in Japan, and strengthen connections through labour and high-quality human resource training.

In addition, he requested Japan’s continued assistance in post-war recovery and enhancing Vietnam’s rescue and disaster response capabilities.

The two sides emphasized the need to further promote cultural and tourism exchanges, people-to-people diploacy, and local connections to strengthen bilateral relations both in breadth and depth.

Both leaders affirmed the importance of parliamentary cooperation as a significant channel within the broader bilateral relationship. They expressed satisfaction with the signing of a cooperation agreement between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the House of Councillors of Japan, aiming to enhance cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels. The two sides also agreed to effectively oversee the implementation of the signed agreement.

They committed to increasing exchanges and interactions between lawmakers, particularly young and female parliamentarians. They highlighted the pivotal role of the Vietnam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Alliance in fostering people-to-people exchanges, business cooperation, and local partnerships.

They also emphasized the need for enhanced sharing of expertise among specialized committees, and for efforts in improving institutional and legal frameworks to support business cooperation and investment expansion.

During the talks, the two sides agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and mechanisms, such as ASEAN, the United Nations, and inter-parliamentary forums like the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

On this occasion, Man invited Masakazu and his spouse to pay an official visit to Vietnam at a convenient time, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

VOV