(VOVworld) - Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee To Huy Rua met former Japanese Prime Minister Hatto Yama in Tokyo on Thursday. Rua, who is also head of the Party Central Committee’s Organization Commission and President of the Vietnam – Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association, thanked Yama for his contributions to the bilateral ties in his role as Prime Minister in the past and Chairman of the Institute for East Asian Studies at present. Both sides expressed confidence that cooperative ties between the two nations will further progress in the future, especially following the ongoing visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. In a separate meeting with Rua, Senator Toshihiro Nikai, President of the Japan - Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Association, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit marks a key step forward in the Japan – Vietnam ties. They discussed plans for joint actions between the two parliamentary friendship associations in the near future.