leftcenterrightdel
President Tran Dai Quang (L) and Japanese Emperor Akihito at the welcome ceremony in Hanoi 

On March 1, many major Japanese newspapers carried on the front page the warm welcome given to the Japanese royal couple in Vietnam.

The Kyodo News quoted Emperor Akihito as saying at a State banquet hosted by President Tran Dai Quang on March 1 evening that "It is my sincere hope that our visit will contribute to further deepening our mutual understanding and strengthening the ties of friendly relations between the people of Vietnam and the people of Japan."

Japanese media highlighted that Vietnam and Japan are strategic partners and Japan is currently the top economic partner and the largest ODA provider of Vietnam.

Some cited comments by political analyst Le Hong Hiep at Singapore’s Institute for South East Asia Studies, noting that this is the first visit by a Japanese Emperor to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic ties. In addition, it took place less than two months after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Hanoi, which showed the close ties and high mutual trust between the two nations.

Public broadcaster NHK said the Emperor and Empress’s visit added freshness and made the Vietnam-Japan ties more complete.

Talking to the French news agency AFP, Yuji Otabe, professor at Shizuoka University of Welfare and expert on Japanese modern history said, "This is a very meaningful visit for both Japan and Vietnam as the emperor, who is expected to retire soon, shows his deep sympathy towards people who suffered from history."

Source: VNA