World & Vietnam Report's 35th anniversary: Aspiration from Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki
WVR - On November 29, the World & Vietnam Report, the official press agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, celebrates the 35th anniversary of its first edition (November 29, 1989 – 2024). On this occasion, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Ito Naoki, extended his sincere congratulations and expressed his aspiration to further deepen Japan-Vietnam ties in the near future. Below is the World & Vietnam Report's unofficial translation of the Ambassador's letter:
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| World & Vietnam Report's 35th anniversary: Aspiration from Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki. (Photo: Japanese Embassy in Vietnam) |
I would like to extend my congratulations to the World & Vietnam Report on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of its first edition.
As a newspaper specializing in foreign relations of Vietnam, the World & Vietnam Report has published many articles related to Japan and contributed greatly to strengthening mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, which is the foundation for the development of the Japan-Vietnam relationship.
Currently, Vietnam is entering a period of remarkable development towards the "new era". In that context, Japan is particularly interested in two contents: first is the statement of General Secretary To Lam about Vietnam's readiness to effectively carry out diplomatic activities in the "new era" and make more proactive and responsible contributions to the international community; and second is the fields of transportation, energy, and digital technology, which are positioned as strategic infrastructure, the driving force leading to the "new era". I believe that these contents will open up new opportunities for bilateral relations in the coming time.
In 2023, Japan-Vietnam relations were upgraded to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World”. This elevation demonstrates Japan and Vietnam’s determination to strengthen cooperation in the coming time in many areas, from cooperation in the fields of security, defense and politics, to trade and investment , cultural and people-to-people exchanges, as well as responding to various issues facing by the international community. Through efforts to concretize the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, I sincerely hope that Japan will also become a leading partner of Vietnam as Vietnam steps forward into a “new era”.
In recent years, the international community has witnessed consecutive major changes in geopolitics. However, Japan and Vietnam share many strategic interests, and Vietnam plays an important role in the process of realizing the goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific. In addition to diplomatic cooperation, I hope to further promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of national security and defense. In the context of Vietnam's increasing presence in the international arena, Japan will continue to promote bilateral cooperation activities, while deepening cooperation in multilateral forums such as ASEAN and the United Nations, thereby actively working with Vietnam for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world.
In addition, the Japanese Government and businesses will join hands to expand cooperation with Vietnam in high-tech fields such as semiconductors or new fields such as digital transformation (DX), green transformation (GX), training high-quality human resources... In order for Vietnam to achieve the goal of becoming a developed country by 2045, the Japanese Government and businesses will provide necessary support to promote Vietnam's industrialization and modernization process through programs such as the "Japan-Vietnam Joint Initiative in the New Era" with these fields as the main theme. In addition, Japan wishes to continue to effectively support Vietnam's projects related to completing strategic infrastructure, responding to climate change, health care... in the form of ODA aid.
I hope that new steps in Vietnam's institutional reform will further improve the investment environment by simplifying and making administrative procedures transparent, speeding up the approval process, etc. It is important that Japan and Vietnam have a deep common understanding of promoting projects on the basis of mutual trust.
I have high expectations for the role of the Vietnamese media, including the World & Vietnam Report, in enhancing mutual understanding between the two countries. I hope that the World & Vietnam Report will continue to actively making reports and convey to a wide range of readers the latest news on Japan-Vietnam relations, thereby strongly supporting this increasingly deep and extensive relationship.
(Source: Japanese Embassy in Vietnam)
