Delegates attend the Viet Nam Japan Economic Summit held in early September in Ha Noi. — Photo vov

TOKYO (Biz Hub)— A conference intended to accelerate industry and trade co-operation between Viet Nam and Japan took place on Friday in Tokyo.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Trade Promotion Agency and the Trade Office at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the forum witnessed the participation of over 120 small and medium-sized enterprises from the two nations, involving sectors such as iron and steel, electronics, plastic and agricultural machinery.

Speaking at the event, the Trade Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, Nguyen Trung Dung, said businesses have enjoyed favourable conditions to accelerate bilateral co-operation due to the two countries' strategic partnership.

Recently, Viet Nam's Government has approved the country's industrialisation strategy as part of Viet Nam-Japan co-operation agreement towards 2020 with a vision to 2030.

Under the plan, Dung said that Viet Nam has defined six industries that would be prioritised for co-ordination with Japan in the near future, including electronics; agricultural machinery; agricultural and seafood processing; ship building; the environment and energy saving; and the manufacture of cars and spare parts.

During the event, Japanese companies heard about the status of Viet Nam's investment environment and its policies on prioritised industries and explore co-operation opportunities with Vietnamese firms.

Japan is now Viet Nam's second biggest trade partner. Two-way trade hit US$25 billion in 2012 and is estimated to reach $28 billion in 2013, up 12 per cent year-on-year. — VNS