(MPI) - Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung hosted a reception in Hanoi on November 17 for Kuroiwa Yuji, Governor of Kanagawa prefecture of Japan, who is on a working trip to Vietnam.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung (right) and Governor of Japan's Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji. Photo: MPI

Minister Dung hailed the ongoing visit by Governor of Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji, who led a delegation of many enterprises, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties this year.

He said that Vietnam continues to attracting foreign investment, including Japan ones. According to a survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Vietnam remains an attractive market for Japanese businesses thanks to its advantages in human resource, and many of them are likely  to expand their operations in Vietnam.

The minister suggested Japanese business in general and those of Kanagawa prefecture strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese firms in a more practical and effective manner, especially in manufacturing and processing industry, technology transfer and participating in the global value chain.

Vietnam wishes to enhance cooperation with Japanese institutes, universities and businesses in terms of innovation, especially in eight major areas of the National Innovation Centre (NIC) like smart factories, smart cities, digital content, cybersecurity, environmental technology, medical technology, semiconductor industry, and hydrogen technology.

Minister Dung also encouraged Japan and the Kanagawa prefecture authorities continue stepping up the exchange of institutes and universities, providing scholarships for students, and boost coordination in high-quality workforce training and improving Vietnamese businesses’ capacity.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment and Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation (MOU) since 2014 to promote economic cooperation, cultural exchanges activities and give support to Kanagawa prefecture’s businesses seeking investment opportunities in Vietnamese localities.

Minister Dung asked for amended contents of the MoU to meet new requirements, and expanding new areas of cooperation in the spirit of sharing, cooperating, complementing each other towards mutual benefits.

The MPI is committed to accompanying and creating all optimal conditions for enterprises of Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture to seek and invest in Vietnam, he added.

For his part, Governor Kuroiwa agreed with the minister’s proposals, and said he will attend the Kanagawa Festival 2023 in Da Nang and the investment seminar, which aim to further deepen cultural exchanges and economic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Japan is in the period of population aging, he said, and noted that the partnership between Vietnam and Japan will help tackle challenges. Kuroiwa exchanged ideas around developing healthcare technology industry and applying information technology and robots to deal with problems of population aging./.

Bao Linh

Ministry of Planning and Investment