Vietnam seeks stronger cooperation in hydrometeorological forecasting with Japan

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha receives the Japanese delegation. (Photo: VNA)

Delighted to meet former Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Hiroshi Fukada, who led the delegation, Deputy PM Ha affirmed that the Vietnam-Japan relationship has seen a flourishing development and is currently at its best stage, marked by high-level political trust.

The two countries have engaged in extensive bilateral and multilateral cooperation related to just transition, particularly through the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, which operates on the premise of carbon neutrality. They have outlined numerous orientations and areas for collaboration, actively implemented initiatives, and achieved positive outcomes.

Japan has shown considerable interest and expertise in climate change adaptation, particularly in hydrometeorological forecasting and early warning for natural disasters - challenges that Vietnam faces annually.

The Vietnamese official said Vietnam seeks Japan's support in transferring technology, solutions, and applications for climate change adaptation, particularly in hydrometeorology, landslide, and flash flood forecasting.

Applauding the collaborative and pilot projects undertaken in Vietnam in these areas, Ha urged the former ambassador, experts, and businesses of Japan to explore and implement more concrete initiatives within the framework of bilateral cooperation in the coming time.

These initiatives could then be proposed by the two governments as priorities for future collaboration, he noted.

Vietnam's hydrometeorological sector has established a strong position in Southeast Asia, as evidenced by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) designating it as the Regional Forecast Support Centre (RFSC Hanoi) for hazardous weather and flash flood warnings in the region, he stated.

He requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to collaborate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Weathernews Inc. to pilot the installation of additional radar systems in Vietnam. The plan is to advance technical research and establish cooperative mechanisms to further strengthen hydrometeorological partnership between the two sides.

For his part, Fukada expressed his condolences over great human and property losses caused by Super Typhoon Yagi this year.

Pointing out common natural disaster challenges that both Vietnam and Japan face annually, Fukada stressed that, alongside building strong infrastructure, it is essential to implement measures to respond to climate change, especially the work of forecasting and early warning.

A representative from Weathernews Inc. stated that, through the World Meteorological Organisation's voluntary cooperation programme, the Japanese government, in collaboration with the company, has provided an Eagle X-band radar system for Vietnam to help improve the country’s capacity for monitoring, forecasting, and issuing early warnings for natural disasters, especially typhoons, heavy rains, and floods.

Weathernews Inc. said it hopes to continue strengthening cooperation and developing content based on radar data in Vietnam, contributing to improving forecast accuracy./.