VietNamNet Bridge - Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh asked Japan to provide information to clarify the bribery allegations and suggested the two sides improve the mechanism to prevent similar cases in the future.

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Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.



On March 25, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam--Hiroshi Fukada, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the Government and people of Vietnam appreciate the support of the Japanese Government and people for the construction and development of Vietnam in recent years, through the provision of official development assistance (ODA).

The Deputy Prime Minister positively noted the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent confirmation to continue considering Vietnam an important partner in Japan's ODA policy to contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam.

Relating to the Japan Traffic Consulting Inc. (JTC) offering bribes to Vietnamese transport officials to undertake the project funded by the Japanese Government’s ODA, he said that Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was very concerned about it and he had directed relevant ministries and bodies to coordinate closely with the Japanese authorities to collect documents on this case.

He confirmed that the Vietnamese Government always strives to effectively use Japan’s ODA for the right purposes. Vietnam will strictly handle this in accordance with laws if the bribery allegations are defined to be true.

The Deputy Prime Minister also asked Japan to closely coordinate with Vietnam and provide information to investigate the case. He also suggested the two sides improve the mechanism to prevent similar cases in the future so Japan's ODA projects in Vietnam will be implemented more effectively.

Ambassador Fukada highly appreciated Vietnam’s very quick and prompt measures and committed to work closely with Vietnam to resolve the incident.

TTXVN