(VOVworld)- President Truong Tan Sang met with the Japanese Emperor and Empress in Tokyo on Monday following a State-level welcoming ceremony. President Sang emphasized that Vietnam gave top priority to developing bilateral ties with Japan for each country’s mutual benefit and in order to meet both people’s expectations. Both host and guest valued the success of activities marking the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties in 2013, saying that this would fuel the acceleration of bilateral ties. 

Emperor Akihito (L) received President Truong Tan Sang in Tokyo on March 17

On the same day, President Sang received Masahiro Sacane, the Vice Chairman of Japan’s Economic Federation and attended a workshop on policies with the heads of some major Japanese firms. Meeting with the Vice Chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) Masahiro Sacane, Sang proposed that Japanese firms place more emphasis on collaboration with the Vietnamese Government and businesses involved in education and training in order to create high-quality human resources.  Sang said Vietnam will took seriously its commitment to ensuring legitimate rights of investors.

In the afternoon, President Sang attended the Vietnam-Japan business forum. Japan is Vietnam’s top economic partner, biggest ODA provider, number one investor and the 4^th largest trading partner. Trade between the two countries increased by five fold from 5 billion USD in 2002 to 25 billion USD in 2012.

President Truong Tan Sang delivers a speech at the forum

President Sang expressed his hope that Japanese enterprises would expand their operations in Vietnam, especially in high technology, energy, automobile manufacturing, information technology, agriculture, human resource training and environmental protection. The President stressed that Vietnam would continue to create the best conditions for Japanese investors for the mutual benefit of both countries and for further development, prosperity and connectivity in Asia.

President Truong Tan Sang witnesses the two chambers of commerce and industry sign a cooperation MoU.

President Sang witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries’ Chambers of Commerce and Industry. That evening, Emperor Akihito and the Empress held a royal banquette in honor of their Vietnamese guests.

On the same day, President Sang received the former Acting President of the Democratic Party, Yoshito Sengoku, former Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi, former Senator Matsuda Iwao and more than 100 other Japanese visitors. Sang thanked his Japanese friends for their special attention to Vietnam and praised their contributions to the development of bilateral ties. He said that the Vietnamese state would continue to do its utmost to increase exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples. Later, the President received Takesaki Hironobu and presented Japan’s Supreme Court with the Friendship Order, Vietnam’s highest distinction for a foreign organization.

In a meeting with the Governor of Aichi prefecture Hideaki Ohmura, President Sang promised to facilitate Aichi investors in doing business in Vietnam. He stressed Vietnam wanted to boost bilateral cooperation in the area of human resource development and proposed that the Aichi authorities should help Vietnamese students to live and study there.