As part of his visit to Japan and attendance at Vietnam National Day at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, on September 11, Deputy PM Le Thanh Long met with President of the House of Councillors Sekiguchi Masakazu and several Japanese ministers.

During the meeting, Deputy PM Le Thanh Long conveyed greetings from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to President Sekiguchi and extended an invitation from the top Vietnamese legislator to visit Vietnam. President Sekiguchi accepted the invitation and said he would arrange a visit at a suitable time.

Sharing Vietnam’s efforts in streamlining its administrative apparatus and improving its legal framework for development, Deputy PM Long expressed appreciation for Japan’s support over the past 30 years.

Agreeing with President Sekiguchi’s assessment that Vietnam-Japan relations are enjoying a flourishing period, the Deputy PM affirmed that parliamentary cooperation remains a key channel in reinforcing political trust, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and expanding bilateral ties across multiple fields. He urged Japan to coordinate closely to create favorable conditions for economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, including simplifying visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens and supporting the Vietnamese community in Japan.

For his part, President Sekiguchi reaffirmed that his nation views Vietnam as a leading partner in realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). He welcomed the robust progress in bilateral ties across economics, politics, culture, education, tourism, and exchanges, and suggested that the two sides work together to effectively carry out the Cooperation Agreement between Vietnam’s National Assembly and Japan’s House of Councillors, signed in December 2024.

President Sekiguchi also applauded Vietnam’s administrative streamlining and legal reforms, pledging support for Japan’s government to increase cooperation and assistance for Vietnam in the new era. He noted that Vietnam’s pavilion at Expo 2025 has been warmly received, featuring cultural performances including traditional water puppetry, and expressed hope that the event would further enhance bilateral ties and people-to-people exchanges.

On the same day in Tokyo, Deputy PM Le Thanh Long also met with Japanese Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Abe Toshiko and Reconstruction Minister Ito Tadahiko.

The Japanese ministers expressed warm sentiments toward Vietnam and reaffirmed their commitment to forging bilateral cooperation in the future.

Deputy PM meets Japanese partners, Vietnamese community in Kansai

As part of his visit to Japan, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long held a series of meetings with the local leadership, friendship associations, and Vietnamese expatriate community in Osaka on September 8.

Vietnam, Japan seek closer parliamentary cooperation

A delegation of Vietnam’s National Assembly Standing Committee, led by Chairwoman of the NA’s Committee for Deputy Affairs Nguyen Thanh Hai, paid a working visit to Japan from August 28–30.