JICA Chief Representative Honoured with Insignias for His Contributions in Vietnam

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang (right) presents the insignia “For the development of Vietnam’s transport sector” to Shimizu Akira, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Vietnam Office. Photo: baogiaothong.vn

Shimizu Akira, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Vietnam Office, was honoured with the insignia “For the development of Vietnam’s transport sector” by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) on March 23, VNA reported.

Addressing the event, Transport Minister Nguyen Van Thang thanked Japan for its support for transport infrastructure development in Vietnam.

Official development assistance (ODA) projects funded by the Government of Japan through JICA are all large and important, making significant contributions to the country’s socio-economic development and changes in its transport infrastructure, he said.

The minister also thanked and acknowledged the efforts of Akira, who has made great contributions to Vietnam – Japan cooperation, especially in the field of transportation, during his tenure in Vietnam, noting that the Japanese official has helped remove difficulties in the implementation of many infrastructure projects using Japanese ODA in the Southeast Asian country, such as Da Nang – Quang Ngai and Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressways.

For his part, Shimizu thanked the MoT and relevant Vietnamese agencies for closely work with the JICA Vietnam Office and himself in carrying out Japanese-funded projects in Vietnam.

He expressed his belief that his successor – Sugano Yuichi – will continue to support and cooperate closely with the MoT in the coming time.

Finance Minister Ho Duc Phuc received and awarded insignia “For the Cause of Vietnam Finance” to JICA Chief Representative in Vietnam, Shimizu Akira on the occasion he ended working term in Vietnam. Source: https://thuenhanuoc.vn/

On the afternoon of the same day, Finance Minister Ho Duc Phuc had a courtesy visit and awarded the insignia “For the Cause of Vietnam Finance” to Shimizu.

JICA is an important partner for Vietnam in general and the Ministry of Finance in particular. “The Ministry of Finance appreciates the close and effective cooperation with JICA through loan support programs and technical assistance projects and appreciates JICA’s contributions in the process of supporting and cooperation for Vietnam as well as the Ministry of Finance,” Minister Ho Duc Phuc emphasized.

According to the minister, during his tenure in Vietnam from March 2020 until now, Shimizu has made efforts to promote bilateral cooperation with the Finance Ministry as well as financial cooperation at the Government level. Specific results were achieved such as four government loan agreements were signed between JICA and the Finance Ministry, with a total value of JPY 78.2 billion (about USD 592 million). At the same time, new loan and aid projects have been accelerated in the process of implementation and approval.

Speaking at the meeting, Shimizu expressed his delight at the results achieved in the macroeconomic management of the Government and the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam over the past time.

Shimizu thanked Minister Ho Duc Phuc for sharing information about the financial cooperation relationship between the two sides. At the same time, he also wished that the financial cooperation relationship between the two sides would continue to be developed and effective.

Standing Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu also held a reception on March 24 for the Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office, who came to bid farewell at the end of his tenure in Vietnam and introduce his successor Sugano Yuichi.

The Deputy FM thanked the JICA Vietnam Office and Shimizu himself for their role in coordinating projects funded by the ODA of the Japanese Government in Vietnam, as well as their cooperation with Vietnamese agencies in pushing ahead important joint projects of the two countries.

He pledged that the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry is always ready to work with the Japanese side for the smooth implementation of joint projects, in accordance with the aspiration and benefits of the people of the two countries.

The new Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office affirmed that Vietnam is an important economic partner of Japan and a priority in JICA’s cooperation in the region. He expressed a wish for continued support from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry so as to effectively roll out bilateral cooperation in the time ahead.