National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (right) and Governor of Japan’s Nara prefecture Yamashita Makoto had talks in Tokyo on December 4. — VNA/VNS Photo

TOKYO — Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Trần Thanh Mẫn received Governor of Japan’s Nara prefecture Yamashita Makoto in Tokyo on Wednesday, within the framework of his official visit to Japan.

Congratulating the Governor of Nara on signing a cooperation agreement with the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế, which coincides with the recognition of it as one of the six centrally-run cities of Việt Nam, Mẫn emphasised that the agreement will create opportunities for the two localities to exchange and learn from each other’s experiences in socio-economic development, as well as other areas.

Yamashita Makoto said that the two localities will collaborate to organise the 14th East Asia Local and Regional Government Congress in 2025 and continue to sign memoranda of understanding on specific fields of cooperation.

He stated that there are currently 4,000 Vietnamese people working in Nara, primarily in manufacturing, caregiving, and healthcare, making them the largest foreign community in the prefecture. Recently, it has welcomed students from HCM City to work at local companies and businesses.

In the coming time, Nara wants to see more workers from Thừa Thiên-Huế come to Nara for employment, he stressed, expressing his hope that the National Assembly and Government of Việt Nam will continue to support and create favourable conditions for the implementation of future cooperation programmes between the two localities.

The Vietnamese top legislator welcomed the cooperation plan between Nara and Vietnamese localities in areas such as investment, trade, tourism, and labour.

He took this occasion to thank Nara leaders for their attention to and support for the 4,000 Vietnamese people who are studying, working, and living there. He also praised the efforts to promote cooperation in human resources training in areas where Nara has strengths. — VNA/VNS