Japanese media highlight Vietnamese President’s visit

NHK, Japan’s largest broadcasting organisation, said during his first-ever visit to Japan as a national guest from May 29 to June 2, President Quang toured Gunma prefecture and hosted a reception for Gunma’s Governor Masaaki Osawa. 

President Tran Dai Quang visits Koganei Seiki Co. (Source: VNA)

Gunma prefecture has maintained close cooperative ties with Vietnamese localities. The partnerships between Gunma and Vietnamese localities will significantly contribute to exchanges between the two countries, NHK quoted President Quang as saying. 

Osawa, who visited Vietnam in 2016 and 2017, expressed his honour to welcome the Vietnamese leader, stressing that Gunma has actively promoted people-to-people exchanges and economic links with Vietnam, according to NHK. 

Following his meeting with Osawa, President Quang made a field trip to Koganei Seiki Co., where many Vietnamese engineers are working. 

Osawa said Gunma will continue cooperation with Vietnam in the time to come to ensure human resources for the prefecture, NHK said. 

According to Tokyo Shimbun, more than 7,000 Vietnamese had lived and worked in Gunma by February 2017. Thirty nine out of 240 engineers working in the Koganei Seiki Co. are Vietnamese. 

It cited Osawa as saying that Vietnam is a friendly and hospitable country and he wishes that the fruitful relationship between Gunma prefecture and Vietnam will be deepened. 

Jomo Shimbun also said President Quang and Gunma’s Governor Osawa agreed to consolidate partnerships between Vietnamese localities and the Japanese prefecture, especially their economic links.

President Quang hoped for enhanced collaboration with the locality in agriculture, high-tech and infrastructure construction which are of Gunma’s strength, the newspaper said. 

Both shared the same view on the significance of intensifying connections  between Japanese businesses and universities in Vietnam to ensure the supply of human resources for the firms, according to the newspaper. 

It said with high demand for young and low-cost human resources, many Gunma businesses have invested in Vietnam. As of March 2018, 66 firms from Gunma have operated in Vietnam, up from 27 enterprises recorded five years ago.