(VOVworld) – A ceremony to mark the Japanese Emperor’s birthday and Japan’s National Foundation Day was held on Wednesday in Ho Chi Minh city.

Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh city Hida Harumitsu stressed that in recent years Vietnam-Japan relations have developed in politics, economics and culture.

Japan accounted for 40 percent of Vietnam’s 13 billion USD foreign direct investment in 2012. In the first 11 months of this year, Japan’s investment capital in Vietnam totaled an estimated 5.7 billion USD, making Japan the leading investor in Vietnam.