State President Vo Van Thuong, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnamese representatives arrived at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo on Sunday evening (local time), starting their official visit to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese state.

They were welcomed at the airport by Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio and his wife, officials of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu and his wife, as well as staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Japan.

This is President Thuong’s first Japan visit since taking office in March this year.

The visit, which lasts from Monday to Thursday this week, is taking place while Vietnam and Japan celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

During the visit, President Thuong is set to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, meet with the Japanese emperor and his empress, and deliver a speech at the National Diet of Japan, which is the country’s legislative body.

The top Vietnamese official will also meet with Japanese representatives in the fields of politics, economy, science, and culture as well as visit Fukuoka Province.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu told the press that the visit by President Thuong is expected to elevate the Vietnam-Japan relations to a new height thanks to efforts to promote bilateral ties across the board in a practical and effective manner.

Prior to this trip, the four top Vietnamese officials met and worked with the top Japanese leaders this year.

In March, General Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong held phone talks with Prime Minister Kishida.

Two months later, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishida when the former visited Japan to attend an expanded summit of the Group of Seven (G7) countries.

Most recently, Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with President of the House of Councillors of Japan Otsuji Hidehisa in September.

Given the global and regional uncertainties, President Thuong's working trip affirms that Vietnam always considers Japan a top and long-term partner in its foreign policy, Vu said.

Vietnam wishes to join hands with Japan in maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region, the Vietnamese diplomat added.

Japan remains Vietnam's biggest provider of official development assistance (ODA) loans, fourth-largest trade partner, second-largest partner in terms of labor affairs, and third-biggest in terms of investment and tourism.

Vu added that the visit is expected to help deepen the political relations and bolster delegation exchanges between the two countries.

Both sides will continue their economic cooperation, which is considered the main pillar in their bilateral ties by facilitating investment cooperation in the fields of ODA, trade, labor, and human resources training.

Vietnam hoped that both countries would effectively implement a new-generation ODA program and continue to promote the development of ODA projects in the fields of infrastructure development, climate change adaptation, and human resource training.

Also, the visit will enable both sides to beef up cooperation in new fields such as green transition, innovation, and digital transformation to consolidate their relations for the sake of peace, cooperation, and development.

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