HANOI: Prime Ministers Le Minh Hung and Takaichi Sanae of Japan signed six bilateral co-operation documents and held a joint press conference on Saturday morning (May 2) following summit talks at the Government headquarters.
PM Hung said Sanae's first official visit to Vietnam marked an important milestone, creating new momentum and opportunities for the two countries.
He noted that Japan is Vietnam's top provider of official development assistance (ODA) and its largest partner in labour co-operation, third in investment and fourth in trade.
In 2025, ODA co-operation rose by more than US$600 million, two-way trade exceeded US$50 billion for the first time, and investment grew by nearly US$4 billion across nearly 300 new projects.
Dozens of joint initiatives in science and technology, semiconductors, digital transformation, green transition, renewable energy and space are under way.
The two sides agreed to target Japanese investment in Vietnam of US$5 billion per year at an early date and bilateral trade of US$60 billion by 2030.
They also agreed to encourage Japanese enterprises to invest in high-technology projects with technology transfer, to support Vietnamese businesses investing in Japan, and to promote market access for agricultural products.
Hung said both sides had agreed on key directions to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into a new phase.
These include deepening political trust through substantive co-operation in defence, security and diplomacy; maintaining ministerial-level mechanisms covering trade, industry, energy, science and technology; and implementing a Deputy Minister-level 2+2 dialogue on foreign affairs and defence.
The two sides will strengthen security co-operation in maritime law enforcement, cyber security, United Nations peacekeeping, war legacy remediation and combating transnational crime.
On science, technology and innovation, both sides committed to concrete co-operation in green transition, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space, with priority given to high-quality human resource training and joint research.
They agreed to hold a Joint Committee on Science and Technology Co-operation meeting in 2026, organise a public–private high-technology exchange event, and implement projects under the POWERR ASIA2 Initiative supporting energy self-reliance in Asia.
Hung welcomed the announcement of co-funding for 15 Vietnam–Japan joint semiconductor research projects under the NEXUS³ programme, and thanked Japan for supporting Vietnam's one million hectare high-quality, low-emission rice project in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.
Both leaders agreed to reaffirm the importance of resolving disputes in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) through peaceful means under international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.
Hung said Vietnam supports Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision in connection with the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and in adherence to international law.
PM Sanae said strengthening co-operation with Vietnam was of the utmost importance for realising the FOIP vision.
She described Vietnam as an important link in supply chains and commended the country's development progress in recent years.
She said the two sides had agreed to identify economic security – encompassing energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space – as a new priority area in bilateral co-operation.
The Japanese Prime Minister also said both sides had exchanged views on regional and international issues, and stressed the importance of expanding the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership while maintaining its high standards.
The six documents signed in the presence of both leaders covered: two JICA loan agreements for disaster-resilient rural development and climate-resilient infrastructure for ethnic minority communities in the northern midland and mountainous provinces; a memorandum on low-carbon growth under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM); a memorandum on irrigation technology exchange between the two countries' agriculture ministries; a memorandum on information and communications technology (ICT) and digital transformation co-operation between the two science and technology ministries; and an amendment to the satellite data exchange agreement between the Vietnam Space Centre and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. — Vietnam News/ANN
