HÀ NỘI — Wakuwaku Japan, a premium television channel that broadcasts Japanese programmes to overseas viewers in Asia, has been officially launched in Hà Nội as part of the recent co-operation deal between the Japanese channel and Vietnam Television Cable Corporation Limited Company (VTVcab).

Addressing the signing ceremony, Trần Bình Minh, General Director of Việt Nam Television (VTV), said the co-operation between Wakuwaku Japan and VTVcab was part of the events held to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic ties between Việt Nam and Japan.

Minh expressed his hope that the localised programmes of Wakuwaku Japan would bring exciting cultural experiences from Japan to Việt Nam to enhance the cultural exchange, thereby contributing to the development of friendly relations between the two nations.

The Chairman and General Director of Wakuwaku Japan, Umeda Kunio, added that the signing ceremony would reinforce the business activities of the two parties as well as cultural and leisure activities in Việt Nam.

In April, Wakuwaku Japan was given a test run by VTVcab and Viettel TV. The channel will introduce Vietnamese viewers to Japanese films, entertainment, culture, cuisine and travel, enabling viewers of different age ranges to enjoy excellent programmes from Japan.

Kunio stressed that all the programmes will have Vietnamese subtitles starting in January 2019. It will be the first localised channel specialising in Japan. Wakuwaku Japan will be broadcast on two mobile applications – Onme and VieOn – meaning that all subscribers of Viettel’s mobile network can tune in.

“Vietnamese viewers have known the Japanese drama Oshin as well as many other interesting cultural programmes from Japan,” said General Director of VTVcab Hoàng Ngọc Huấn. “Many more interesting shows will be introduced to them via the channel.”

“VTVcab is accelerating the modernisation of its transmission infrastructure to provide service to any user with devices connected to the Internet; therefore, Wakuwaku Japan will see its coverage in Việt Nam expand rapidly,” he added.

Wakuwaku Japan is a television channel broadcast 24 hours a day in Japan. It is also being broadcast in seven nations and territories among which Việt Nam is the first to launch the channel on a mobile network. Nearly all programmes on Wakuwaku Japan in Việt Nam will be broadcast at the same time as those in Japan. — VNS