Earlier on the same day, Party leader Nong Duc Manh visited a number of economic and cultural establishments in Fukuoka and attended the inauguration of the Vietnamese General Consulate in Fukuoka.

During his meeting with leaders of the Japan Agricultural Cooperative Organisation and the general farm in Fukuoka, Mr Manh showed his keen interest in close links between farmers and cooperatives in terms of providing plants and seeking outlets for their products, supporting them when the prices of farm products go down and offering them credit, health care, tourism, insurance and other services.

Despite modern bio-technology having been applied in mass production to help farmers produce high-quality products, the agricultural sector in Fukuoka currently has a large number of aging farmhands due to the fact that the younger workforce does not want to engage in agricultural production.

Currently, the agricultural cooperative organisation in Fukuoka has around 130,000 members with a total sale turnover of 116 billion yen, accounting for 55 percent of the agricultural production value of the whole Fukuoka prefecture.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Party leader also visited the Kiusiu National Museum- the fourth largest of Japan after the Tokyo, Nara and Kyoto museums- where a number of objects depicting the diverse cultural life of the Vietnamese community are on display.

Later in the morning, Mr Manh attended the opening of an exhibition named “Vietnam Impression” and the Vietnamese General Consulate in Fukuoka.

In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem said this is an important event in Vietnam-Japan relations, demonstrating both countries’ wish to further promote bilateral comprehensive cooperation in economics, trade, investment, labour, culture and education between Vietnam and Fukuoka and other southern localities in Japan.

The event will contribute to enhancing the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia that has been established between Vietnam and Japan following Party leader Nong Duc Manh’s visit, Mr Khiem noted.