Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long and Nukaga Fukushiro, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, at their meeting in Tokyo. — VNA/VNS Photo

TOKYO — Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long met with Nukaga Fukushiro, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa and Justice Minister Suzuki Keisuke, on September 10 -11, as part of his working visit to Japan for Việt Nam National Day at Osaka Expo 2025.

Meeting with Nukaga, the Vietnamese official congratulated Japan on successfully hosting Osaka Expo 2025, while expressing thanks to the Japanese government for its support for Việt Nam in organising the Việt Nam National Day at the expo.

Expressing his delight at the fruitful development with high political trust of the Việt Nam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the Japanese House of Representatives, Long thanked Nukaga and the Japanese legislative body for their support and collaboration over the years.

He affirmed that Việt Nam consistently regards Japan as one of the most important partners and a sincere and reliable friend, and considers parliamentary cooperation an important channel to promote the bilateral relations substantially, comprehensively, and effectively.

Long revealed Việt Nam's development goals and directions in the new era, expressing hope that the Japanese House of Representatives will continue supporting the Japanese government’s policies for Việt Nam, including facilitating Vietnamese businesses’ participation in global supply chains, increasing localisation in Japanese companies’ production in Việt Nam. He also urged Japan to simplify procedures and eventually grant visa exemptions for Vietnamese citizens to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Nukaga congratulated Việt Nam on the success of Việt Nam National Day at the expo, noting that Japanese and international visitors were highly impressed by the programme. He also lauded the strong progress of the Japan-Việt Nam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, noting that there remains great room for stronger cooperation.

He affirmed that Việt Nam is one of Japan’s most vital partners in the Indo-Pacific region, and that the flourishing development of the bilateral ties and Việt Nam's economic development will contribute to stability and development in the region. He urged the legislative bodies of the two countries to continue strengthening exchanges and close cooperation in the time to come.

Long took the occasion to convey NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn’s invitation to Nukaga to visit Việt Nam at an early date.

In a meeting later with former Prime Minister Suga, Long expressed his hope that Suga will continue supporting Việt Nam, contributing to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The former Japanese Prime Minister welcomed the significant progress in bilateral relations in recent years and affirmed his interest and support in promoting the relationship in his capacity as an advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance.

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa. — VNA/VNS Photo

Meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa, Long urged both sides to continue enhancing political trust through meetings at all levels and advance new cooperation pillars in science and technology, digital transformation, and high-quality human resource development. He also called for Japan’s support for key ongoing projects in high-speed railway, green transition, digital transformation; and encouraged Japanese companies to increase investment in Việt Nam.

Hayashi emphasised that Japan values its relationship with Việt Nam and expressed confidence that the comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to grow stronger. He also confirmed Japan’s support for Việt Nam's green transition and digital transformation projects, highlighting their significance for the economic development of both countries.

On this occasion, Long invited Japan to send representatives to the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime in October in Hà Nội.

At the meeting with Justice Minister Suzuki, the Vietnamese official expressed his gratitude for the nearly 30 years of effective and practical support provided by the Japanese ministry to Việt Nam and thanked Suzuki for his valuable contributions to the development of Vietnam-Japan relations.

He urged the Japanese ministry to continue supporting Việt Nam in strengthening its legal and institutional frameworks and in training high-quality human resources, including legal and judicial professionals. He also called for the early approval of the 2028–2030 project on enhancing the quality and effectiveness of lawmaking and law enforcement in Vietnam, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Suzuki praised Việt Nam's recent institutional reforms and endorsed the cooperation proposals presented by Long. He affirmed that Japan will continue supporting and sharing experience with Vietnam in justice, human resources training, and legal and institutional development, while ensuring favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Japan.

Deputy PM Long is scheduled to meet with President of the House of Councillors Sekiguchi Masakazu, and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Abe Toshiko on September 11. — VNA/VNS