Ambassador Ito Naoki: Local cooperation broadens Vietnam-Japan economic foundation in new phase
WVR - On the occasion of the second Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum to be held in Hue, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki shared with The World and Vietnam Report about the potential for cooperation between the localities of the two countries, while emphasizing the role of local cooperation in promoting investment and expanding the Vietnam-Japan economic cooperation foundation.
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| Overview of the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum 2025. (Photo: Chu Van) |
Following the success of the first Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum in Quang Ninh last year, what are your expectations for this year's Forum?
I am very pleased that the second Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum will be held in Hue on September 6 this year. At the first Forum, held in Quang Ninh province last November, about 50 localities from both countries with approximately 800 delegates participated. This is a valuable opportunity to connect the strengths and needs of localities with attracting investment from the Japanese private sector.
Currently, under the strong leadership of General Secretary, President To Lam, Vietnam is accelerating reforms in the country's “new era”. More importantly, Vietnam not only sets goals but also demonstrates a persistent determination to firmly realize those goals in practice.
Japan steadfastly supports the reform efforts of General Secretary, President To Lam, and also sees this as a favourable opportunity to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation. In that spirit, the Japanese government, local governments, and the business community are closely coordinating to jointly support this endeavor.
Applying the “new growth model”, both central and local governments of Vietnam are united in aiming for double-digit growth. In the coming time, I am confident that the investment environment in localities will continue to improve through the simplification of administrative procedures and the acceleration of licensing processes, thereby creating momentum for expanding Japanese investment into Vietnam.
This year's Forum will be attended by leaders from 10 Japanese localities, including Mr. Yamashita Makoto, Governor of Nara Prefecture, along with distinguished delegates from Vietnamese provinces and cities. Notably, on this valuable occasion, the first dialogue between Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and the Japanese business community is also expected to be held. I sincerely hope that through this Forum, cooperation activities between the localities of the two countries as well as partnerships in the economic field will continue to develop more robustly.
How do you evaluate the cooperation between Japanese localities and Hue City in recent years, and what is your outlook on the potential for cooperation in the coming years?
Known worldwide as the “ancient capital” of Vietnam, Hue City boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage and has established a sustainable and trustworthy relationship with Japan.
Last June, Hue City – the hometown of Politburo Member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung – signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing Friendship, Exchange, and Cooperation” with Nara Prefecture – the hometown of Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, thereby confirming the promotion of cooperation in various fields such as trade, investment, cultural exchange, tourism, and education. Previously, in April 2018, Hue established a sister city relationship with Saijo City in Ehime Prefecture and several other Japanese localities to enhance exchange and cooperation in water environment, disaster prevention, economy, and culture. On September 4, Shizuoka City and Hue City exchanged cooperation documents to further develop the friendship established between the two cities since 2005 and to promote bilateral cooperation.
Hue is also known as a major “academic city” in Central Vietnam, home to many educational institutions, notably Hue University. Young people aged 15 and above make up more than half of the total labor force, and this vibrant young generation is an important part of making Hue City extremely dynamic. People-to-people exchanges, especially between the young generations of the two countries, are taking place very actively. In March this year, with the support of the Resona Foundation, about 40 Japanese high school students and teachers visited Hue and engaged in meaningful and warm exchanges with Lam Mong Quang Secondary School. Additionally, through the Japan Foundation, five Japanese teachers have been dispatched to teach at eight secondary and high schools in Hue City, thereby contributing to the promotion of Japanese language education in the locality.
Not only the two major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but also central cities of localities like Hue City are indispensable partners of Japan. I believe that expanding and diversifying partnerships at the local level in the coming time will continue to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between Japan and Vietnam.
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| Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki speaking at the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum 2025. (Photo: Chu Van) |
In your view, what role does local-level cooperation play in driving Vietnam-Japan economic cooperation in the current context?
During the visit to Vietnam in May this year, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung agreed to identify science, technology, and innovation, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation (DX), and green transformation (GX) as new priority areas in Japan-Vietnam cooperation; while affirming the importance of economic security and agreeing to expand and further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
Local-level cooperation is an indispensable factor for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Japan and Vietnam to achieve substantive results. The memorandums signed between local governments of the two countries have become the starting point for many activities to attract businesses, promote investment into Vietnam, and strengthen links between Vietnamese and Japanese businesses. A typical example is Mr. Yamamoto Ichita, Governor of Gunma Prefecture, who has directly promoted cooperation with Vietnam and considers it one of the pillars in the province's foreign strategy. After signing a memorandum with the former Ha Nam Province (now Ninh Binh Province), Gunma Prefecture has sent business delegations to Vietnam and established the “Japan Desk” to support Japanese businesses. To date, businesses from Gunma Prefecture have decided to invest a total of 10 billion Yen in Vietnam. Cooperation in the field of healthcare and medical care was promoted during the visit to Vietnam by Mr. Kuroiwa Yuji, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, which is also a typical example of how local leadership diplomacy can open up specific cooperation projects.
In addition, small and medium-sized enterprises and medium-sized enterprises from Japan's localities are expanding their business activities in many localities of Vietnam by utilizing loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and local banks. In advanced technology fields, more and more enterprises from Japan's localities are expanding their investments into Vietnam's provinces and cities, such as Murata Manufacturing, headquartered in Kyoto Prefecture, operating in Da Nang City and Dong Nai City. This demonstrates the depth and breadth of economic relations between Japan and Vietnam, affirming the importance of creating opportunities for local governments and Japanese local businesses to directly interact and connect with Vietnamese partners.
I hope that through local cooperation and improving the investment environment in localities, more Japanese businesses will invest in Vietnam, thereby further expanding the bilateral cooperation foundation in the economic field.
Thank you very much, Ambassador!
