President Truong Tan Sang, his wife and delegation arrived at Tokyo-based Haneda airport on March 16 for a four-day State visit to Japan at the invitation of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Hirotaka Ishihara, Japanese ambassador to Vietnam Fukuda and his wife, Vietnamese ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung along with embassy staff and overseas Vietnamese representatives gathered at the airport to greet President Sang and his entourage.

A salvo of 21 canon shots saluting the Vietnamese delegation demonstrated Japan’s recognition of special importance to the fine Vietnam-Japan relationship and President Sang’s first State visit in his capacity as a Vietnamese Head of State.

The trip is highlighted as an important political event for bilateral relations aiming to consolidate political trust between Vietnam and Japan and their coordination in dealing with international and regional issues, and promote cooperation in economics, trade, investment, ODA,  science- technology, education-training and agriculture.

The same day, President Sang toured several agricultural research, machinery manufacturing and fresh vegetable processing facilities in Ibaraki- a Japan’s leading agricultural production locality to learn about high-quality agricultural models.

In praise of the agricultural achievements made by Ibaraki as well as Japan, President Sang affirmed the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s willingness to boost agricultural cooperation for mutual benefits.

He said he hopes that this trip will help the two countries’ localities deepen mutual understanding and work out new orientations for future agricultural cooperation.

Later in the day, the State leader witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the (MARD) and Ibaraki, and met with the Governor of Ibaraki prefecture.

 The Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation have grown and flourished in recent times. Last year witnessed diverse activities for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties which have provided a firm foundation for elevating the bilateral relationship to a higher level in the interests of the two peoples, Sang told the Ibaraki Governor.

He thanked the Ibaraki administration and local people for their support for the Vietnamese community while hoping that more Ibaraki firms will select Vietnam as one of the attractive destinations for international investors, especially for Japanese businesses.

The Vietnamese Government is ready to offer the best possible conditions for Japanese partners’ business and investment in the country, he added.As scheduled, an official welcome ceremony for President Sang and his delegation will take place at the Royal Palace on the morning of March 17.

Source: VNA/VOV