Japan's agriculture minister and his Vietnamese counterpart have drawn up a cooperation plan. Koizumi Shinjiro sat down with Vietnam's minister of agriculture and environment, Tran Duc Thang, in Tokyo.



The two countries have been holding regular Cabinet-level meetings on agricultural cooperation since 2014.



At the meeting on Thursday, Koizumi said ties between Japan and Vietnam have been deepened including in the trade of farm, forestry and fishery products. He expressed his intention to further deepen their ties through dialogue.



Thang called Japan an important partner when it comes to Vietnam's agriculture.



He thanked Japanese businesses for the investment and know-how they have provided to his country.



Koizumi and Thang then signed the agricultural cooperation plan. It includes an effort to spread the use of tech-driven "smart agriculture" in Vietnam over the next five years.



The plan also involves providing government-level support for Japanese food exports to the Southeast Asian nation.