Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a joint press conference yesterday in Tokyo. – VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

TOKYO – Việt Nam and Japan would co-operate closely to promote their extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia in a new period of more comprehensive and pragmatic development, said Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. 
At a joint press conference following his talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday, the Vietnamese government leader said that the two sides had also agreed to enhance political trust through regular high-level visits and meetings, utilising dialogue mechanisms and stepping up result-oriented co-operation in national defence and security, as well as people-to-people exchanges. 
They would continue to reinforce economic links, promote Japanese investment in Việt Nam, intensify collaboration in major projects on infrastructure, high-quality personnel training, climate change response and Vietnam’s industrialization strategy, and further their co-ordination in using Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) and preferential loans effectively. 
At the same time, the two sides would strengthen their affiliation in administrative reform, e-governance and productivity improvement, along with other areas such as high-quality agriculture, the environment, education-training, culture, tourism, healthcare, sports, firefighting and people-to-people exchanges. 
They pledged to work together for the success of the Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting and to promote ASEAN-Japan relations as Việt Nam co-ordinates the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue for 2018-2021. 
PM Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said Việt Nam had approved the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and Việt Nam and Japan were pushing ahead with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). 
Việt Nam welcomed and backed Japan’s efforts and initiatives to ensure prosperity, free trade and navigation safety in the Indo-Pacific region on the basis of the UN Charter and international law with respect for independence and sovereignty for peace, stability, co-operation and development in the region and the world alike, he said. 
Việt Nam attached importance to the role of Japan in the current situation, the leader said. 
Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Phúc said Việt Nam and Japan had reiterated the significance of ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the area, and not using or threatening to use force. 
They showed their support for the settlement of disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and respect for diplomatic and legal processes. 
Both sides highlighted the need to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and finalise an effective and legally binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), the PM said. 
He used the occasion to express his sympathies to Japan over huge losses caused by Storm Trami recently. 
Speaking at the press conference, PM Shinzo Abe extended his condolences over the passing of President Trần Đại Quang and former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Đỗ Mười. 
He said Việt Nam’s sustainable development played an important role in peace and prosperity in the Mekong region, pledging that Japan would continue its strong support for Việt Nam in building high-quality infrastructure, administrative reform, industrial development, productivity and energy. 
The host said that in 2019 when Việt Nam and Japan hold the Japan-Mekong Exchange Year, Japan would further expand people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. 
Japan would continue to intensify personnel training with Việt Nam via the Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative and the Japanese language education initiative, he promised. 
The two sides agreed to take measures to prevent and handle companies that sent or received illegal Vietnamese guest workers. 
Given growing global protectionism, Việt Nam and Japan would continue to send messages of trade liberation and equal and free investment through the CPTPP and RCEP. 
PM Abe said he would work closely with PM Phuc to contribute to the success of the ASEAN-Japan Summit Meeting to boost bilateral co-operation. 
Abe said he and his Vietnamese counterpart agreed to boost co-ordination in regional and international issues, including the Korean peninsula and East Sea. 
The leaders expressed their resolve to deepen bilateral ties for peace and prosperity in the region and the world at large. 
At the end of their talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of co-operation documents between ministries, agencies and businesses from the two countries. 
The documents included a diplomatic note of exchange on non-refundable aid to enhance the capacity of Việt Nam’s Reference Testing and Agrifood Quality Consultancy Centre in order to ensure food safety of agro-forestry-fishery products. 
There were also MoUs covering co-operation in maritime policy between the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Japan’s Cabinet Office; collaboration in trade and industry between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Japan’s Wakayama prefecture; and a firefighting accord between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The Vietnam Football Federation will team up with the Japan Football Association, and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and Mizuno Group of Japan will be looking at physical education in Vietnamese primary schools.
An agreement between the MoET and Japan’s National Police Agency and ministries of justice, foreign affairs, and education, culture, sports, science and technology on affairs relating to overseas Vietnamese in Japan was also inked on the occasion.
They also witnessed the signing of a BOT contract between the MoIT, Sumitomo Group and Van Phong Power Company Limited on the Van Phong 1 thermal power plant. —VNS