General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae meet the press in Tokyo on Monday evening (local time). VNA/VNS Photo

TOKYO — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae met the press in Tokyo on Monday evening (local time), right after their talks and the handover of Việt Nam–Japan cooperation documents, during the Vietnamese leader’s official Japan visit.

PM Takaichi recalled her May 2026 Việt Nam visit and said the top Vietnamese leader’s speech at the National Diet of Japan during this visit has stirred a strong desire to take Japan–Việt Nam relations forward together.

She said the Japan-Việt Nam Joint Vision Statement announced the same day will lift relations to a new height, and believed that cooperation will develop strongly and outstandingly within the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World” framework. 

The two sides also discussed building a favourable business environment to soon realise gas-fired and liquefied natural gas (LNG) power projects involving Japanese companies. Japan will contribute to Việt Nam’s target of “training 100 AI doctoral holders”. They also exchanged cooperation documents, including those on the Việt Nam–Japan University, a symbol of bilateral education cooperation.

 General Secretary and President Lâm, for his part, described his talks as effective, substantive and successful. The two sides agreed to issue the Việt Nam–Japan Joint Vision Statement, lifting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a new height as equal partners that accompany and co-create together on mutual benefit, for quality growth, strategic autonomy and self-reliance, for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity in Asia-Pacific and the world.

Both sides agreed on major orientations, including stronger political trust through deeper, more substantive defence, security and diplomatic ties; stronger high-level diplomacy in many forms; cooperation through Party, State, Government and parliamentary channels; a bigger role for the two parliamentary friendship groups; effective rollout, upgrading and expansion of existing cooperation mechanisms for the new situation; and substantive, effective national defence-security collaboration under the signed documents.

They will strengthen economic linkages toward sustainable, long-term development on equality, mutual assistance and mutual benefit; boost trade, investment and new-generation ODA; push economic, energy and food security, diversify supply chains and bolster each country’s strategic autonomy; step up marine and ocean cooperation, share information to support firms, and announce the imminent conclusion of negotiations to open markets for Việt Nam’s green-skinned pomelo and Japanese grapes.

Việt Nam is committed to facilitating quality Japanese investment projects tied to technology transfer, he said, adding that both sides agreed to keep improving the business climate.

To push substantive cooperation in science, technology, innovation and quality workforce, the two nations will drive joint work in space technology, marine and ocean science, AI, digital technology, semiconductors, medical technology, hi-tech agriculture and cybersecurity. They will effectively roll out 14 projects under the Joint Crediting Mechanism, boost research and quality training and set up a network of Vietnamese - Japanese scientists.

They will push harder on workforce links and people-to-people exchanges through local cooperation, labour, healthcare, culture and tourism; soon break ground on the Việt Nam–Japan University, a symbolic education project; launch the Việt Nam–Japan Tourism Year 2027–2028 and co-host the third bilateral local cooperation forum in 2027; and propel health cooperation, elderly care and an early social insurance agreement.

The guest asked the Japanese Government to keep offering all possible support to nearly 700,000 Vietnamese living, studying and working in Japan.

He underscored close cooperation and mutual support at international and regional forums and on issues of mutual concern. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of settling East Sea disputes by peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Việt Nam supports Japan’s regional initiatives, including the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision linked to ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific Outlook and compliant with international law, contributing positively to global and regional peace, stability, cooperation and development. — VNA/VNS