VietNamNet Bridge – On the occasion of the Japanese Emperor’s birthday today, Viet Nam News spoke with the Japanese ambassador to Viet Nam, Mitsuo Sakaba.

Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Mitsuo Sakaba.

Next year will be very meaningful because, for the first time, Viet Nam and Japan will share the same views on international issues and we will strengthen this kind of dialogue on policy between the two countries. We have had lots of bilateral dialogues but this will be a chance to discuss global issues.

It is predicted that trade turnover between Viet Nam and Japan will increase significantly after we sign an economic partnership agreement. What sectors will benefit the most from the agreement?

It is very significant that we are going to sign the EPA soon; we expect to sign it this month. It’s the first free trade agreement as Viet Nam has not signed with any one specific country so far, previously Viet Nam just joined the ASEAN free trade agreement. This agreement has significance to the development of bilateral trade.

Thanks to the agreement, both countries will liberalise trade up to 95 per cent for almost all commodities. Of course it will not be immediately liberalised. It will take some years to liberalise some sensitive products, such as essential agricultural products for Japan including rice and wheat. In the case of Viet Nam, the sensitive products are some industrial products. For Viet Nam in particular, the commodities for which we are liberalising our market are natural honey, shrimp, spinach and fish, etc.

In addition to agricultural products, some industrial products produced by FDI companies, including Japanese companies, will benefit from the agreement because their products will be exported to Japan.

From the Japanese viewpoint, we expect to gain a new market in Viet Nam with better access for our products, such as car-parts and steel products. Not only the Japan-ASEAN free trade agreement, which entered into force on December 1st this year, but also the EPA between Viet Nam and Japan will contribute better access to the market for both countries. We are very keen to sign the bilateral agreement as soon as possible and implement it sometime early next year to expand our trade relations.

Japan has temporarily suspended some official development assistance (ODA) projects in Viet Nam due to the alleged corruption case involving Japan’s Pacific Consultants International (PCI). Recently, former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visited Viet Nam to speak to Vietnamese leaders about this. Did former PM Fukuda’s visit open prospects for future ODA co-operation between Viet Nam and Japan?

ODA projects play an important role in co-operation between the two countries. Unfortunately, because of the alleged bribery case involving PCI, we suspended some ODA soft loan projects. During his visit to Viet Nam, former Prime Minister Fukuda asked Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to work closely so that ODA co-operation between Viet Nam and Japan would return to normal. We are working for two things to resume ODA. First, an investigation into the HCM City bribery case. All Japanese nationals involved have been arrested already, so a judgement will be made in the near future. The Japanese involved have already confessed that they gave cash bribes to Vietnamese officials. So we want to see how the Vietnamese Government conducts the investigation on the officials who accepted the bribes. Secondly, we have formed an inter-governmental committee to create a more transparent process of appointing consultants to ODA projects. Normally we ask the Vietnamese Government to employ consultants to oversee ODA projects. The PCI case was an example of lack of transparency. The joint committee will produce more transparent and controlled procedures. Once we get a new procedure, we can start to work again.

Technical co-operation and grant aid projects are still proceeding. Only soft loan projects have been suspended. Both sides expect to resume the projects, so we should work more to make it a reality.

Japan has witnessed many political changes over the last two years. How have these changes affected Japan’s foreign policy towards Asian countries, especially Viet Nam?

Currently Japan’s major opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, has the majority in the upper house following the election in 2007. In the lower house, the governmental party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has the majority. So the situation makes it quite difficult to adopt new laws in the parliament. However, in terms of international relations, we have made maximum effort not to allow the domestic situation to affect our foreign policy. Generally speaking, our international relations are not so much affected by domestic political situation.

You write a blog about life in Viet Nam, which is posted publicly on the Japanese embassy in Ha Noi’s website. Do you receive a lot of feedback from readers? What are your most interesting experiences in Viet Nam so far?

Twice a month, I report my activities as an ambassador in Viet Nam. The reports are posted in both Vietnamese and Japanese. I have received reactions from both Vietnamese and Japanese people to my stories. This is what I expected. I want to know how they feel about what I’m doing, what kind of suggestions they have for me. At the same time, through my stories, I send messages to the Japanese community and business leaders in Japan about what is happening between the two countries. Once I report my personal experiences, they become a common experience. It’s not easy to write reports about activities every two weeks, but I am trying. I hope that more people will access my reports and comment on them.

So far I have visited 43 cities and provinces in Viet Nam. That’s not so bad after 10 months. It’s very interesting to visit remote and mountainous regions such as Dien Bien and Lai Chau in the north and Gia Lai and Kon Tum in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands). I’ve discovered many things and met many people in the provinces. We continue to support those people by assisting infrastructure development in Viet Nam. I’m very glad to know that people are enjoying our support. They often express their appreciation to the Japanese Government. Sometimes it is just a small project, but I feel they are satisfied. I want to continue such direct contact with local people besides my meetings with leaders and officials in the capital city. Such visits give me a fresh view beyond my official diplomatic activities in Ha Noi. I hope I can visit all of Viet Nam’s 63 cities and provinces.

(Source: Viet Nam News)