Hanoi  (VNA) – The state visit to Vietnam by Japanese EmperorAkihito and Empress Michiko from February 28 to March 5 is a significant eventmarking a crucial milestone in the cooperation and friendship between the twonations.

It demonstrates Japan’s interests in Vietnam and will contribute to boostingVietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in a more comprehensive manner aswell as strengthening mutual understanding between the two people.

The visit, made at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang and his spouse, takesplace at a time when the two countries’ extensive strategic partnership forpeace and prosperity in Asia is growing across sectors.

Emperor Akihito always supports Japanese royal members to increase exchangewith Vietnam. He and Empress Michiko have many times expressed their desires tovisit Vietnam.

Having a great passion for freshwater fish, Emperor Akihito discovered a new speciesof goby fish in a Can Tho river tributary in Vietnam’s Mekong delta while conductinga research for his doctoral thesis on fish in the south of Vietnam in the 1970s.

In 1974, he presented a specimen of this species of goby to the biology museumunder Hanoi University of Natural Science.

Vietnam-Japan relations have enjoyed sound cooperation in economy, politics andcultural exchange and understanding and trust between the two peoples have beenreinforced since the two countries established their diplomatic ties onSeptember 21 in 1973.

Japan continuously remains Vietnam’s leading economic partner. It is the biggestprovider of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for Vietnam and ranks secondin foreign investment with a total registered capital of 42 billion USD,accounting for 15 percent of total foreign direct investment poured into thecountry.

With nearly 700,000 Japanese visitors to Vietnam in 2016, Japan becameVietnam’s third largest tourism partner. Both signed a joint statement ontourism cooperation in April, 2005, helping lure more Japanese holiday-makersto Vietnam.

Japan has launched in a number of projects helping Vietnam preserve and restoretraditional houses in northern, central and southern regions. The JapaneseGovernment started its support for conserving the Thang Long imperial citadelin Hanoi in 2004. Many Japanese archeological experts have taken part ininspection, excavation and research activities in Vietnam.

The two sides have also promoted people-to-people exchanges through the organizationof exhibitions, film festivals and other cultural events.

Japan is also a leading provider of non-refundable aid for Vietnam’s education.By 2016, about 60,000 Vietnamese students have pursued their study in the EastAsian country.

In addition, Vietnam and Japan have collaborated in such spheres asagriculture, climate change response and labour.

Twining relations have been set up between HCM City and Osaka (in 2007), DaNang and Sakai (in 2009), Hanoi and Fukuoka (in 2013), Da Nang and Yokohama(2013), HCM City and Yokohama (in 2013), Dong Nai and Hyogo (in 2013), BaRia-Vung Tau and Kawasaki (in 2013), Phu Tho and Nara (in 2014), Hue and Kyoto(in 2014), Hung Yen and Kanagawa (in 2015), Hai Phong and Niigata (in 2015) andNam Dinh and Miyazaki (in 2015).-VNA