Vietnam and Japan signed Tuesday seven aid agreements totaling JPY119.791 billion (about $1.3 billion), the biggest pledged sum so far, in line with the Japanese fiscal year to end on March 31, 2010. Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Xuan Ha and Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Oshima Kenzo signed the deals in Tokyo. Amid the current global economic downturn, signing the deals represents the importance of the strategic cooperation between Tokyo and Hanoi, Deputy Minister Ha noted. The Japanese funding will be pumped into infrastructure development projects, the government of Vietnam said on its website. Besides, Japan will provide JPY54.9 billion directly to Vietnam’s state budget to boost economic growth, the government added. Japan has provided JPY1.542 trillion in aid to Vietnam since 1992, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said.
