Vietnam seeks Japanese visa exemption for its nationals

He is on an official visit to Japan, where he took part in the 28th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo on Thursday.

During a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, he urged the Japanese government to support Vietnamese expats living in the country.

He congratulated Japan on its successful organization of the G7 summit and the G7 expanded summit.

He wanted it to give priority to Vietnam in the US$75-billion program for construction of high-quality infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region and the $10-billion Asia Energy Transformation Initiative.

He sought new generations of ODA from Japan with greater incentives.

Yoshimasa thanked Vietnam for its contribution to the success of the recent G7 expanded summit.

Vietnam occupies a leading position in Japan's foreign policy in the region, he said.

He assured that Japan would continue to support Vietnam's development, including by providing by ODA in fields where Japan has strengths and leading technologies.

He wanted the two sides to raise their strategic partnership to new heights.

Quang and Yoshimasa also discussed a number of international and regional issues of mutual concern, such as the East Sea and Japan-ASEAN cooperation.

Vietnam waives visas for Japanese nationals visiting for up to 15 days, but Japan does not reciprocate.

Nearly half a million Vietnamese live in Japan.