Head of the Japanese General Consulate, Yakabe Yoshinori, speaks on the birthday of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito in Đà Nẵng. Việt Nam and Japan will mark the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023. Photo courtesy of Hậu Giang

ĐÀ NẴNG — The Japanese General Consulate officially celebrated the Birthday of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito at a ceremony in the central city, as he turned 63 years old on February 23.

The Head of the Japanese General Consulate, Yakabe Yoshinori, said the Consulate-General was delighted to host a reception to celebrate his birthday, and this is the first reception to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito in Đà Nẵng.

He said the Japanese government's diplomatic strategy, ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, placed great importance on ASEAN, which is located in a position that connects the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Yakabe Yoshinori said: “ASEAN's connectivity’ is regarded as important. To be specific, development and improvement of the two economic corridors from Việt Nam to Myanmar, the East-West Economic Corridor and the Southern Economic Corridor, are set as priority issues. Đà Nẵng and the surrounding provinces are an important region from the aspect of Japanese diplomatic strategy. The Consulate General of Japan has been established in the central city due to these considerations.”

He added: “Việt Nam continues to attract attention as a destination for overseas investment by Japanese companies. The central region of Việt Nam is attracting more attention as an investment destination for Japanese companies because of its lower rents of industrial parks and rich human resources compared to Hà Nội and HCM City.”

Currently, there are approximately 300 Japanese companies operating in Đà Nẵng and the surrounding provinces, and the number of Japanese companies in this region has increased, Yoshinori said.

“Central Việt Nam is also rich in tourism resources such as World Heritage sites and beautiful beaches, and the number of Japanese tourists is expected to increase steadily in the future," Yoshinori said. "In addition, in recent years, as Japan-Việt Nam security and defence exchanges have progressed, vessels of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard have been frequently visiting the city.”

Yoshinori said the relationship between Japan and central Việt Nam had become comprehensive and inclusive, covering politics, security, economy, and culture.

Japanese and Vietnamese coast guard officers during a friendly visit at Đà Nẵng City's Tiên Sa Port. VNS Photo Lê Lâm

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Việt Nam," Yoshinori added. "Various events related to the anniversary are scheduled in Đà Nẵng City, Quảng Nam, Thừa Thiên Huế and other provinces in the central region. Consulate-General hopes to further deepen the current comprehensive and inclusive relationship in cooperation and collaboration with the people's committees of the provinces and cities in the region.”

Yoshinori said direct flights between Đà Nẵng and Japan would resume in late March, and various exchanges between central Việt Nam and Japan, including visiting senior officials, were expected to increase steadily in the future.

In Đà Nẵng, the Consular Office of Japan opened three years before and was elevated to Consulate-General in 2022.

“The Consulate-General of Japan in Đà Nẵng is making great efforts to begin visa service this April. The Consulate General will continue to support Japanese nationals in central Việt Nam as much as possible for their safety and health,” he said.

Đà Nẵng and Hội An have hosted the annual Việt Nam-Japan Culture Exchanges since 2013.

Japanese businesses have invested US$932 million in Đà Nẵng, creating 40,000 jobs for local and neighbouring provinces.

Đà Nẵng inked memorandums of understanding on investment and cooperation with Yokohama, Kawasaki and Sakai and built relationships with 15 other cities in Japan.

Aeon Mall Việt Nam began building its first trading centre, Aeon Mall Huế, with an investment of US$170 million in the central province of Thừa Thiên Huế last month.

Japanese experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have been supporting Hội An City in Quảng Nam by restoring the iconic Japanese Bridge in Hội An. — VNS