Hanoi (VNA) – Following is the full text of the interview:

What is your assessment of the Vietnam-Japan ties over the past years?

Ambassador Sakaba: Japan and Vietnam experienced a history of exchanges of about more than 400 years, and the two countries’ relations have been expanded and enhanced for 35 years. Since 1986, when Vietnam began its “doi moi” (renewal) process, the two countries’ ties and cooperation, particularly in economy, have seen a strong development.

I think, Japan is now one of Vietnam’s most important partners in all fields such as investment, trade and Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Furthermore, exchanges of visits of the two countries’ leaders have been closer in recent years. They were manifested by the official visit to Japan by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (October 2006), the official visit to Vietnam by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (November, 2006), and the latest official visit to Japan by Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet (November, 2007).

Which areas of cooperation will you focus during your term in Vietnam in order to further boost bilateral ties?

Ambassador Sakaba: Like previous years, I think I will continue to focus on developing bilateral economic cooperation. The two sides will carry out the third phase of the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative (VJJI) in September, which aims to improve business and investment environment, thus, strengthen Vietnam’s competitiveness.

This phase will focus on enhancement of the supporting industry because in the near future, Vietnam will open its market to ASEAN region and foreign enterprises in Vietnam must raise its competitiveness to survive. Additionally, we want the Vietnamese people to have better understanding on product quality and that, to make a high-quality product, it must be made of high-quality components.

Japan would like to support the human resource development and to build up the financial support mechanism for the supporting industry in Vietnam for the next five years.

I also hope that exchanges among people of the two countries would be further developed. Some 450,000 people of Japan and Vietnam have visited their respective countries.

I think that it is time for us to pay attention to international issues and the development and stability in the Asian region. Vietnam has fulfilled its role as the chairman of the United Nations’ Security Council in July. Japan will stand for a non-permanent member of the UNSC this Autumn, and if elected, Vietnam and Japan would be Asian non-permanent members of the UNSC in 2009. Being Asian countries, we should cooperate in solving international and regional issues for the sake of global peace and development. Vietnam is a core member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) whose ties with Japan have been closer in recent years, therefore, Japan has attached importance to its relations with Vietnam.

Japan is the world’s main ODA provider, especially for nations in the Southeast Asian region. In the near future, which fields does Japan’s ODA focus in Vietnam?

Ambassador Sakaba: Previously, Japan provided ODA to Indonesia , Malaysia and Thailand but now, we think, Vietnam’s economic development and its political stability plays a key role to ensure that the region will develop further. Therefore, the Japanese government hopes that with its ODA assistance, Vietnam is able to boost the country’s economic development to keep up with other regional countries, thus, further enhance economic cooperation between Japan and Vietnam.

Japanese ODA to your country have by now focused on infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports, aimed at promoting exchanges of goods. We will continue to provide ODA in transportation infrastructure with top priorities to be given to building railways and highways. Besides, we will pay attention to improving environment, education and training human resources in Vietnam.

Currently, the big projects to build the North-South expressed railway and the Hoa Lac high-tech zone are being discussed by experts to map out a detailed plan, while the construction of the North-South highway is in the initial phase. In addition to these projects, we have the subway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Those projects are the largest and most important ones Japan has granted to Vietnam so far.

In addition to huge projects, the Japanese government also attaches importance to small-sized projects in rural poor areas. At the beginning of this month, I have signed a series of projects of this kind in the Northern province of Hoa Binh and Central provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum. The funds for those projects are not much but it has made a practical contribution to local people. Annually, Japan carries out from 25-30 small-sized projects with each having an average capital of 1.5 billion VND.

Economic cooperation to lift Japan-Vietnam ties