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New Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and his wife Mariko (left) with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife Tran Thi Nguyet Thu take a commemorative photo at the government office
Vietnam is at the center of regional diplomacy with the visit of the new Japanese prime minister, which takes place from October 18 to 10, 2020.
Mr. Suga Yoshihide has decided to choose Vietnam as the first country on his first international trip after taking office.
Vietnamese media quoted Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Suga’s spokesman on October 19 as saying the reason why Vietnam was chosen as the first destination on the new prime minister’s first visit. General Suga:
“Vietnam is actively leading discussions on regional peace and security in ASEAN, as president of the Association. Vietnam is doing quite well in this despite the influence of Covid-19. Vietnam is also doing well. It shares a common perception with Japan on freedom of navigation, respect for the rules and free trade in the free and open region of the Indian Ocean. That is why Prime Minister Suga chose Vietnam as his first stop. First, on his first voyage, “the Mr. Yoshida Tomoyuki was quoted by VnExpress, an online newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology, as quoted by the media in Hanoi on Monday.
Just “imitate” the predecessor?
On this occasion, from Tokyo, an observer of the politics and relations between Japan and Vietnam shared with the Vietnamese BBC News his perspective on the essence of the reason and the meaning of this visit.
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Mr. Suga (second from right) when he was Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Chief of Staff (third from right), received a “kariyushi”, a traditional Okinawan summer shirt, 5/2015
Kyodo’s news page features Mr. Suga:
As a workaholic, Suga’s morning routine for nearly eight years as Chief of Staff is outlined below:
You wake up at 5 a.m., spend an hour reading news, including major newspapers and NHK radio, walk for 40 minutes and do 100 sit-ups, have breakfast, and then arrive. I work in the prime minister’s office at 9 am.
During the day, Mr. Suga holds press conferences twice a day as the main government spokesperson and some two dozen meetings. He prefers to eat buckwheat soba for lunch so he can finish it in just five minutes.
“I think that Mr. Suga Yoshihide simply reaffirms and mimics the foreign policy of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. Abe visited three countries: Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand in January 2013 after being elected. During this period, Mr. Suga did not go to Thailand, probably due to the unstable political situation, ”commented Professor Hirohide Kurihara from the University of Tokyo.
When asked why Mr. Suga chose two ASEAN countries, Vietnam and Indonesia, to visit during his first visit as the new Prime Minister, Professor Hirohide replied:
“Of course, Southeast Asia has been and is occupying a very important position for the development of Japan. Furthermore, many ASEAN countries expressed their great sympathy for Japan’s position in the Asia-Pacific region in a “future-oriented” spirit, which is different from China and South Korea. “
What role in foreign policy?
Asked how the visit to the two Southeast Asian countries plays a role in the foreign policy and strategy of the new prime minister’s cabinet in the current and medium-term context, Professor Hirohide replied:
“The three countries Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia have one thing in common, that is, they have to deal with China’s aggression at sea (East Sea and East China Sea). It seems that Mr. Suga intends to strengthen cooperation with the two countries in terms of territorial protection (territorial waters) and the lives of fishermen. “
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On October 19, Suga met with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
When asked if there is any relationship in terms of Japan’s security, defense and foreign policy between the recent dialogue meeting of the Diamond-Quad group (between Japan, USA, India, Australia With the visit of the Prime Minister to the two ASEAN countries this week, the University of Tokyo academic said:
“I assume that Mr. Suga’s visit to the two countries has nothing to do with the new Quad because those four countries have a strong common foundation of democracy and human rights. In this sense, Vietnam and Indonesia are different. The two countries have their own reasons for maintaining relations with China. “
Is visiting Vietnam first “not happy” China?
Asked how his visit to Vietnam can affect the relations between Japan, Vietnam and China, in terms of politics, security, defense, economy and trade, Hirohide replied:
“In my opinion, for China, Mr. Suga flying to China to visit Vietnam is extremely unhappy. Later, China would force Japan everywhere as usual. Right now, the Chinese Coast Guard ship invaded the Japanese Territorial Sea (Senkaku) for 57 hours and 39 minutes. They may repeat such annoying behavior. “
When asked what the new Prime Minister of Japan chose Vietnam as the first official visiting country to say about Vietnam’s position and the role of Vietnam in the current Japanese perspective and Suga’s new cabinet, if it can be considered as a diplomatic victory of Vietnam and Japan and Vietnam have won common and particular interests through the visit that takes place in Hanoi, commented the Japanese academic:
“It is very difficult to capture the thoughts and calculations of Mr. Suga at this time, however, before leaving Tokyo, he stated that the general purpose of the visit is: first to promote cooperation in overcoming the consequences of the COVID pandemic- 19 and, secondly, reaffirming mutual aid on regional issues. That’s it!
“And it seems that Mr. Suga also had an interview with the students of the Vietnam-Japan University, although there is nothing remarkable on the website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Anyway, in my opinion, Vietnam is still the partner of the attention of Japanese politicians. “
He signed 12 documents and reached a “defense” agreement.
The Vietnamese press reported on October 19 that the official welcoming ceremony with Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide was held at the Presidential Palace with his Vietnamese counterpart, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, receiving a high-level state ceremony. .
The same day, according to the Vietnamese media, Prime Minister Suga was received by the Secretary General and President of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong at the Communist Party of Vietnam Headquarters, according to the International newspaper, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Vietnam.
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According to information from the portal of the Government of Vietnam, the two parties, Vietnam and Japan, exchanged 12 cooperation documents worth almost 4 billion dollars.
On Monday, after Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and his counterpart, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the two sides “basically” reached an agreement on the transfer of defense equipment and technology, UK news agency Reuters reported. The words of Prime Minister Suga in the Hanoi October 19 bulletin, in the context that China is said to have a greater influence in the region.
Call for “pressure” for human rights
Previously, international media reported that Human Rights Watch issued a press release on October 18 calling on the new Japanese prime minister to exert pressure on the Vietnamese and Indonesian authorities. on human rights issues and records during Mr. Suga’s first overseas trip since taking office.
“Japan should use influence as the main sponsor of Vietnam and Indonesia to pressure both governments and end human rights violations … Prime Minister Suga, both openly and privately, should show that Japan is serious their policy statements to promote human rights abroad, ”Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy director for Asia, wrote in a statement.
In another event, just before Mr. Suga’s visit to Hanoi, more than a dozen Vietnamese in the capital Tokyo “protested, went on a hunger strike” in front of the Prime Minister’s Palace to ask Mr. Suga to pay attention. to the case. Dong Tam and Vietnamese prisoners of conscience, Vietnam Free Asia Radio reported in a news broadcast on its YouTube channel on October 18.
