Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính meets former Japanese PM Suga Yoshihide and Chairman of the Japan - Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Nikai Toshihiro. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

TOKYO — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with former Japanese PM Suga Yoshihide and Chairman of the Japan - Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Nikai Toshihiro in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The meeting is part of PM Chính’s first official visit to the Northeast Asian country from November 22 to 25.

Describing Japan as a strategic partner of leading importance to Việt Nam, he noted with satisfaction that the two countries’ extensive strategic partnership has been growing strongly in all fields with high political trust.

He thanked Suga Yoshihide and Nikai Toshihiro, who is also former Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, for actively promoting the Japanese Government’s emergency vaccine assistance for Việt Nam in the face of the complex COVID-19 situation.

Chính highly valued the active and effective contributions by Suga, Nikai, and members of the Parliamentary Friendship Alliance to the fruitful development of the extensive strategic partnership in all areas, including economy, trade, investment, and people-to-people exchange.

PM Chính called on them to keep helping strengthen the ties between the two countries’ parliaments, parliamentarians, and young leaders, and bring into play the role of parliamentary friendship groups.

For his part, Nikai affirmed that the Japan - Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance will make more contributions to bilateral relations by stepping up activities for enhancing friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples, including the young, thereby creating new opportunities for their multifaceted cooperation.

On this occasion, PM Chính attended an event marking the export of the Unshu mandarin, a specialty fruit of Japan, to Việt Nam. — VNS