JAPAN - Free Trade with Vietnam
“The world economy is becoming more uncertain, and the impact on the Southeast Asian region is also becoming apparent,” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters after a meeting with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Chinh.
Vietnam has hosted China’s President Xi Jinping and top South Korean ministers, while Tokyo has held a trilateral meeting with China and South Korea.
“We will cooperate to maintain a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” Ishiba added in a joint press conference with Chinh where journalists’ questions were not allowed.
Vietnam is a major assembling hub for large Japanese manufacturers, including Honda, Canon, and Panasonic, with a total of $78 billion invested in the Southeast Asian country by Japanese firms, according to Vietnam's finance ministry. Japanese banks also hold strategic stakes in top Vietnamese lenders.
-www.reuters.com, 28 April 2025
Arno's Commentary
Unity is the key to super-success in the modern world. Looking at Japan, one of the most successful nations in the world, religiously it is listed as 1.1% Christian, while Vietnam is 6.1% Catholic and 1% Protestant. Life expectancy is also extremely different, as Japan leads the world at 85.2 years, while Vietnam’s is only 76.1. Culture is also quite diverse when comparing Japan and Vietnam. The CIA Factbook lists Vietnam as 86.3% non-religious, while Japan only lists 4% as “other.”
Asian nations continue to seek unity based on Europe’s motto: “United in Diversity.”
In the meantime, while the Church is a tiny minority, we know the truth of the words which Jesus spoke: “I will build my church.” We need to continue to pray for these two nations.
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
