June 16, 2026t

A delegation from the Japanese Communist Party visited Lang Son City in Vietnam to hold talks with local authorities on June 13, following the relocation of a monument honoring Takano Isao, a former Akahata correspondent in Hanoi who was killed in 1979 while covering the Sino-Vietnamese War.

Previously located in a martyrs’ cemetery in Lang Son Province, the monument commemorates Takano who was shot to death by Chinese troops while on duty. However, it was damaged by severe weather in 2023. Subsequently, the Lang Son Provincial People’s Committee rebuilt it in Chi Lang Park near the center of Lang Son City.

The JCP delegation expressed their gratitude for the local efforts to maintain and honor the monument for nearly 50 years.

Inoue Ayumi, a member of the JCP International Commission, said, “We hope that in this new and more accessible location, the monument will continue to symbolize the deepening friendship and solidarity between our two countries, for the sake of a peaceful and prosperous region and world.”

Hoang Anh Tuan of the Department of Home Affairs under the Lang Son Provincial People’s Committee stated that he hopes the monument will promote peace and international friendship.