Tokyo, May 19 -- For the people of Mimasaka in Okayama prefecture, Japan, the name of Ho Chi Minh is both familiar and revered, much like other great figures in the world history, according to Mayor Hagiwara Seiji.

Speaking with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s correspondent on the occasion of the 135th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh, Hagiwara said Mimasaka is proud to host the statue "Ho Chi Minh reading a newspaper," the first of its kind in Japan. Each year, the statue draws numerous visitors from both Japan and abroad who come to pay their respects to the late leader.

The Mayor underscored that the name of Ho Chi Minh has earned the admiration of the Japanese people and has become closely associated with universal values ...