Japanese Senior Vice Minister of Cabinet Office,Kiyoshige Maekawa said the SSEAYP offered a good chance for young peoplein the region to deepen mutual understanding for peace and prosperity.He said he hopes that over 300 youths participating in the event willcontinue joining hands to build a firm foundation for the friendshipbetween Japan and ASEAN in the 21 st century.
Speaking on behalf of ASEAN countries, Vietnamese Ambassador to JapanDoan Xuan Hung said that Vietnam and other ASEAN countries value thesignificance of the programme. He affirmed that young people will play acentral role in promoting a dynamic regional cooperation.
The SSAYP is a cooperation project between Japan and ASEAN,which bring young people from Japan and Southeast Asian countriestogether for a sea journey to boost the solidarity and friendshipbetween youngsters in the region. It was first organised by the Japanesegovernment and ASEAN in 1974. Vietnam joined the annual programme in1996.
This year, the SSEAYP started on October 23and will run until December 14. During days on board, over 300 youthsare scheduled to visit five ASEAN countries of Vietnam, Thailand,Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.-VNA