Promoting Vietnam-Japan cooperation through the Kansai friendship bridge: Permanent Deputy Minister
WVR - On the afternoon of November 4, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu received Mr. Nishimura Teiichi, Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in the Kansai region, along with a delegation visiting Vietnam from November 3-9 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Association's founding (1995-2025).
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| Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu receives Mr. Nishimura Teiichi, Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in the Kansai region. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
Speaking at the meeting, Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu congratulated the Association on its 30th anniversary of formation and development. He also highly appreciated the Association's significant and enduring contributions to fostering deep friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries, especially between Vietnam and the Kansai region – a leading industrial, financial, and innovation hub of Japan.
Expressing delight at the robust and substantial development across all fields of the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Deputy Minister emphasized the special position and role of the Kansai region. This area accounts for over 30% of Japan's total investment in Vietnam and about 25% of bilateral trade, and is home to more than 100,000 Vietnamese people living, studying, and working. Kansai also boasts over 10 local partnership relationships with Vietnamese provinces and cities – a vivid testament to the depth and vitality of the bilateral relationship.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu affirmed that the cooperation potential between Vietnam and Japan, particularly with the Kansai region, remains vast. He urged the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in Kansai to continue its role as a bridge, enhancing connections between governments and businesses on both sides. He encouraged promoting cooperation in areas where Vietnam has needs and Japan has strengths, such as processing industries, supporting industries, high-tech agriculture, healthcare, and elderly care, while linking investment activities with technology transfer and high-quality human resource training.
Thanking the Association for its active support of the Vietnamese community in Kansai, the Deputy Minister requested the Association to continue advocating for local governments to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, study, and work stably. This would help strengthen its role as a friendship bridge, contributing to the socio-economic development of Kansai and the cooperative relationship between the two countries. The Deputy Minister also hoped the Association would closely coordinate with and support the activities of the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka, working together to deepen the bilateral relationship.
For his part, Chairman Nishimura Teiichi expressed his honor to meet Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu on the special occasion of the Association's 30th anniversary. He appreciated the rapid, trustworthy, and substantial development of Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation in recent times.
Acknowledging the Deputy Minister's remarks, he affirmed that the Association would continue to play its role as a bridge between businesses, organizations, and localities in the Kansai region and Vietnamese partners. This is especially true in fields such as supporting industries, education, healthcare, elderly care, and human resource development – contributing to promoting people-to-people exchanges, enhancing understanding, and strengthening the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
