Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong asked the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to prioritise official development assistance (ODA) to infrastructure, human resources, poverty reduction and climate change response in Vietnam while meeting the agency’s President Tanaka Akihiko in Tokyo on September 17. He hailed JICA for its role as the coordinator of ODA provided by the Japanese government, saying that nearly 27 billion USD in ODA that Japan has given Vietnam over the past 20 years has strengthened Vietnam’s competitiveness, State administration and well-being. The leader asked JICA to work closely with Vietnamese relevant agencies to launch ODA-funded projects in a transparent and effective manner. JICA marked its first activities in Vietnam in 1991 by the dispatch of Japanese experts to Vietnam and reception of Vietnamese trainees to Japan. As of 2012, JICA sent 5,700 long-term specialists and 480 volunteers to Vietnam and welcomed 20,800 Vietnamese trainees to Japan. As of April 2015, JICA launched more than 150 technical and financing projects in Vietnam, which is also the largest recipient of its aid. Meeting President and Chief Executive Officer of Nikkei Corporation Naotoshi Okada the same day, the Party chief praised its initiatives to hold the annual International Conference on the Future of Asia and meetings with walks of life in Japan, thus strengthening the bilateral ties. He also lauded Nikkei newspaper in Vietnam for its updated coverage of the local developments and the Vietnam-Japan ties. Okada, in return, wished that Vietnam will continue to attend the conference next year and assured that Nikkei would keep bringing the latest news from Vietnam to the world. During a meeting with representatives of walks of life in Japan in the afternoon on the same day, the Vietnamese leader reflected on the time-honoured relationship between the two people, saying that the two countries share similar benefits and supplementary potentials as well as mutual support in regional and global issues, including the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world. Vietnam regards Japan as a partner of top significance in the long run, considering it a consistent advocacy and strategic choice in her foreign policy, he said. The two countries need to further deepen the bilateral extensive strategic partnership under the motto” fostering trust, promoting economic links, expanding cooperation, boosting sustainable development and looking towards the future”, the Party chief stressed. He said he believe that the Vietnam – Japan ties would develop broadly and deeply, becoming a “trustworthy” and “sympathetic” relationship. Following his speech, the General Secretary answered questions raised by scholars and researchers involving Vietnam’s situation, foreign policy, the prospect of Vietnam-Japan ties and other regional and global issues of shared concerns. Representatives of Japanese walks of life also gave praise to the leader’s speech and spoke of their warm feelings for Vietnam and its people. They were confident in the bright future of Vietnam under the leadership of the Communist Party as well as the prospect of the bilateral extensive strategic cooperative partnership.-VNA