Vietnamese Community Contributes To Sustainable Development Of Saitama Prefecture
	Vietnam, Japan Cooperate Over National Defense

The meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Japanese counterpart Kamikawa Yoko in Tokyo (Japan) on August 7.

The joint press release was issued on the 12th meeting of the committee, which was co-chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Japanese counterpart Kamikawa Yoko in Tokyo on August 7 (Photo: VNS).

The last in-person meeting of the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee was in May 2019, due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to VNS, the meeting discussed the importance of maintaining and enhancing close cooperation between the two foreign ministries, and promised to facilitate human resources training and staff exchanges to share experience in policy building, consular affairs and media.

Economic connectivity and cooperation in economic security took the center stage, with a focus on official development assistance (ODA), investment, trade, and emerging fields such as digital transformation (DX), green transition (GX), and semiconductor. The effective and substantive implementation of the first phase of the Vietnam - Japan Joint Initiative in the new era was identified as a priority. They stressed the need to improve Vietnam's investment environment to encourage greater Japanese investment and trade.

The Japanese side affirmed its readiness to support Vietnam in effectively and practically implementing the Action Plan for the ASEAN-Japan Economic Co-Creation Vision, and accelerating the transition to a circular economy. Japan agreed to actively consider assisting Vietnam in telecommunications, including 5G-6G networks, information technology, cybersecurity, and digital society.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing and implementing new Japanese ODA projects under the new ODA Charter, focusing on strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, green transition, climate change response, and health care.

Japan pledged to create more favorable conditions for Vietnamese students in Japan by providing them with scholarships and Japanese language proficiency programs. Cooperation in culture, arts, sci-tech, and sports to raise mutual understanding and strengthen bilateral friendship was also on the agenda.

Various flexible methods to conduct locality-to-locality cooperation in economy, investment, trade, tourism and labor was also discussed, particularly in remote areas.

Vietnam welcomed Japan's new policy on foreign labor, particularly the introduction of the "training and work" system to replace the previous "technical intern" training programme. The Japanese Government reaffirmed its commitment to further improving the living and working conditions and social welfare for the Vietnamese community in Japan. Both sides agreed to start negotiations on a bilateral social security agreement.

The meeting also covered collaboration in law, justice, health care and start-ups, paving the way for a robust and dynamic future partnership. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Vietnam in 2025.

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