Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Sen. Lieut. Gen Trần Quang Phương and Speaker of the Oita Prefectural Assembly Shima Koichi. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Tuân

HÀ NỘI — Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Sen. Lieut. Gen Trần Quang Phương met with Governor of Oita Prefecture Sato Kiichiro and received Speaker of the Oita Prefectural Assembly Shima Koichi as part of his working visit to the Japanese prefecture on Friday.

Phương expressed his joy at visiting Oita Prefecture - Japan’s famed “onsen capital” - for the first time. He lauded the 52-year relationship between Việt Nam and Japan and especially the progress since the two countries upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership nearly two years ago, spanning economy, politics, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges. He also noted that Việt Nam's ties with the Kyushu region, particularly Oita prefecture, have grown increasingly robust and substantive.

Highlighting Việt Nam’s push for institutional and legal reforms and development goals in a new era, he affirmed Việt Nam’s desire to deepen its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Japan, especially through locality-to-locality cooperation, a hallmark of the bilateral ties.

Briefing Oita officials on the development priorities and strengths of Đà Nẵng City and Quảng Ngãi Province, Phương urged Kiichiro and Koichi to step up exchanges between local officials and legislators, and foster collaboration between Oita and Vietnamese localities in hi-tech agriculture, tourism, and wellness, which Oita holds advantages.

He also called for greater coordination in culture and people-to-people exchanges, and the full realisation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Oita Prefecture and Quảng Ngãi Province, not only on workforce training but also on hot spring and mud bath tourism, areas of mutual strength.

The NA Vice Chairman thanked Oita authorities for their support and requested continued improvements in working and living conditions for Vietnamese workers and more opportunities for Vietnamese students in the prefecture.

Oita leaders congratulated Việt Nam on its 80th National Day and the 15th anniversary of its Consulate General in Fukuoka. They reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in trade, investment, labour, tourism, and in promising sectors like agro-forestry-fisheries processing.

Kiichiro highlighted Oita’s growing ties with Việt Nam, particularly in people-to-people, education, and cultural exchanges, and praised the 3,700-strong Vietnamese community as vital to local socio-economic development. He credited the Vietnamese Association in Oita for fostering mutual understanding through cultural and culinary exchanges.

For his part, Koichi recalled his visit to Việt Nam seven years ago and noted Oita’s MoU with Quảng Ngãi Province signed in 2023. He pledged to deepen ties with Vietnamese localities and said the prefectural assembly would study Phương’s proposal to establish a Japan-Việt Nam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance in the Oita Prefectural Assembly. — VNA/VNS