Japanese crown prince begins Vietnam visit, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations
Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, has met Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan as he started his visit to Hanoi marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, met Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on Thursday as he started his visit to Hanoi marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The visit by Akishino and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, comes at a time when Tokyo is pushing to deepen ties with Southeast Asia and other emerging nations to tackle regional and global challenges.
Akishino stressed the importance of ties between the two nations at a news conference in Japan last week and said, “I hope we can contribute as part of an effort to promote friendly relations between the two countries.”
The couple also laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Vietnam's first president, Ho Chi Minh, and are scheduled to meet President Vo Van Thuong before traveling to Hoi An in central Vietnam.
The trip is Akishino’s third to Vietnam after earlier visits in 1999 and 2012.
Bilateral trade between the two countries was nearly $50 billion last year, making Japan the fourth-largest trading partner for Vietnam.
The couple’s visit comes three months after Emperor Naruhito and his wife Masako visited Indonesia, this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as ASEAN and Japan mark 50 years of friendship. Japan is Indonesia’s largest provider of official development assistance, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.