On November 27, speaking to the press on the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam - Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (November 27, 2023 - November 27, 2025), Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki said that the two sides have made rapid and substantial progress.
Accelerating high-level dialogue and local cooperation
Ambassador Ito Naoki emphasized that trust between the leaders and people of the two countries has been increasingly strong since upgrading relations.
In October alone, the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had two meetings with Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and the G20 Summit and met with Politburo member and President Luong Cuong on the sidelines of the APEC Summit.
At the meetings, both sides reaffirmed their determination to deepen bilateral relations. Japan is committed to continuing to accompany Vietnam in reforming and developing sustainably in the new era.
The Parliamentary Canal continues to be a bright spot. The visit to Japan by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man at the end of last year helped strengthen parliamentary diplomacy. This year, exchanges between younger generations of leaders between the two countries' parliamentary unions were launched, creating a more sustainable foundation for cooperation.
From those political initiatives, local cooperation emerged as a new trend. The Vietnam - Japan Local Cooperation Forum in Quang Ninh attracted 16 Japanese localities and 31 Vietnamese localities. In the message sent to the conference, Prime Minister Takaichi emphasized that Japan's experience in community development, industry and tourism will make practical contributions to Vietnamese localities.
Breakthrough in technology, energy and security
In the new strategic cooperation, Japan and Vietnam are taking strong steps in three areas: Technology - innovation, green transformation, security - defense.
In the semiconductor field, Japan is committed to receiving 250 out of 500 doctoral students that Vietnam aims to train by 2030.
Since September, 5 universities of the two countries have signed cooperation agreements, and in the next three years, it is expected that 63 graduate students will go to Japan to train.
Vietnam - Japan University has also opened a semiconductor chip technology major with more than 100 first-year students.
In the field of green transformation, the two countries have promoted 15 projects within the framework of the Asia 0.0 Community Emissions Initiative (AZEC) with a total value of about 20 billion USD, from renewable energy to LNG power.
Economic cooperation continues to be a pillar. Metro Line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, Metro Line 2 in Hanoi, wind power projects, smart urban areas, wastewater treatment... all mark the role of Japanese capital and technology.
Two-way trade turnover in the first 10 months reached 42.5 billion USD and is expected to exceed 50 billion USD for the first time in 2025.
Security - defense cooperation has also entered a new phase. In December, the two countries will organize a 2+2 Conference at the Deputy Foreign - Defense Ministers level for the first time. The naval vessels and coast guard of the two countries visited each other's ports, expressing their determination to contribute to maintaining peace in the East Sea and the East China Sea.
Ambassador Ito Naoki reaffirmed that Japan will maintain a consistent policy to promote the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam to continue to develop stably, substantially and sustainably.
