HÀ NỘI – Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng had separate meetings with Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto Yoji and former Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo on Thursday, as part of his working visit to the East Asian nation and attendance at the 30th Future of Asia forum.

During his meeting with Minister Muto, Deputy PM Dũng expressed Việt Nam’s wish for the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to closely coordinate with relevant Vietnamese ministries and agencies to advance the implementation of commitments shared between the countries’ leaders.

He particularly mentioned the outcomes of Japanese PM Ishiba Shigeru's recent visit to Việt Nam regarding such key cooperation areas as energy, green transition, industry, and science-technology.

He also called on the Japanese Government and METI to continue supporting Việt Nam’s efforts in industrialisation and modernisation, building an independent and self-reliant economy, and achieving breakthroughs in institutional reform, human resources, and infrastructure development.

Dũng suggested Muto further promote business connectivity between Vietnam and Japan, and to support Vietnamese enterprises in integrating into Japanese supply chains.

Sharing updates from his meetings with leaders of Japanese localities such as Mie, Aichi, and Hokkaido, the deputy PM stressed Việt Nam’s readiness and interest in cooperating with Japan on high-quality human resources development. He said both sides should consider this a strategic priority in bilateral ties, in order to meet their development demands amid emerging global trends.

Dũng also urged Japan to continue supporting Việt Nam in its efforts toward green transition and digital transformation, including the effective implementation of 15 emission reduction projects worth over US$20 billion under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative.

He advocated for deeper cooperation in sectors such as semiconductors, green energy, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Given the complex developments in global trade, the deputy PM stressed the importance of enhancing bilateral trade exchange and requested Japan to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese exports to access the Japanese market.

For his part, Muto agreed to further strengthen economic, trade and industrial cooperation with Việt Nam.

Concurring on the importance of closely coordinating the implementation of high-level agreements between the two countries, he stated that the Japanese Government is keen to advance collaboration in the semiconductor sector via joint projects on polysilicon production and human resources training, aiming to support Việt Nam’s goal of cultivating 50,000 skilled workers. He also highlighted a programme under which Vietnamese semiconductor professionals will work in Japan and later return to contribute to the development of Việt Nam’s domestic chip sector.

On AI, Muto expressed Japan’s interest in partnering with Vietnam to launch joint projects under the ASEAN–Japan Co-Creation initiative.

He also noted that Japanese firms are highly interested in expanding their investments in Vietnam, and urged the Vietnamese Government to continue efforts to improve the investment climate and streamline administrative procedures supporting the operations of the nearly 2,400 Japanese companies currently active in its market.

During his meeting with the former Japanese PM, Dũng called for Kishida’s support in promoting a new pillar of bilateral cooperation in science and technology. He also sought Japan’s assistance in fostering Việt Nam’s research and development, and acceleration of joint projects in areas like high-tech industry, semiconductors, energy transition, and green transition, particularly within the framework of AZEC.

Kishida praised Việt Nam’s growing international stature and impressive socio-economic achievements in recent years. He said that Japan is committed to supporting the country’s development goals, and personally pledged to continue contributing to the comprehensive advancement of Việt Nam–Japan relations.

The former leader also expressed his intent to push for the effective implementation of green transition projects in Việt Nam under AZEC. In his role as an advisor to the Japan–Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, he added that he will work to enhance inter-parliamentary exchanges between the two nations in the near future. VNS