Hanoi, April 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: Vietnam and Japan issued a joint statement on Monday, highlighting a series of new agreements to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World, on the occasion of Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his spouse’s official visit to Vietnam from April 27 to 29, 2025, at the invitation of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his spouse.
During high-level talks held in Hanoi on April 28, Prime Ministers Phạm Minh Chính and Ishiba Shigeru expressed satisfaction with the robust and substantive development of bilateral relations since the upgrade of ties in 2023. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors, including politics, security, defense, economy, education, and people-to-people exchanges, towards a new era of Vietnam–Japan relations.
Political, Security, Defense, and Diplomatic Cooperation
The two leaders agreed to maintain regular high-level exchanges and bolster cooperation mechanisms, such as the Việt Nam-Japan Cooperation Committee, the Joint Committee on Trade, Energy and Industry, and the Maritime Policy Dialogue. They welcomed substantive progress in defense cooperation and consented to establish a “2+2” dialogue mechanism at the deputy foreign and defense ministerial level, with the inaugural meeting scheduled in Japan later this year.
They also discussed strengthening collaboration in maritime security, cyber security, intelligence, counterterrorism, and combating transnational crimes, with a shared emphasis on educating citizens living in each other’s countries about local laws and regulations.
Economic Collaboration and Development Initiatives
The Prime Ministers underlined the importance of improving Vietnam’s investment environment, including administrative reform, to foster stronger economic ties. They pledged to expand cooperation in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation (DX/GX), energy, and disaster resilience.
They hailed recent milestones, including the inauguration of Hồ Chí Minh City’s Metro Line No.1 and progress in wastewater treatment projects, and committed to expediting the implementation of ongoing Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects.
A new fact sheet listing Phase 1 Vietnam–Japan cooperation projects with a total value of approximately US$20 billion was proposed, focusing on energy transition, climate change response, and strategic infrastructure. The two sides also agreed to intensify collaboration on the development of human resources, aiming to train up to 500 Vietnamese PhD students in the semiconductor field by 2030 under the NEXUS Programme.
Japan also pledged continued support for the Vietnam–Japan University project, with a commitment to expedite construction starting within fiscal year 2026.
People-to-People Exchange and Local Cooperation
Recognizing the growing Vietnamese community in Japan, which exceeded 600,000 in 2024, the two Prime Ministers praised the increasingly vibrant people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. They reaffirmed their commitment to promoting local-level cooperation and cultural exchanges to foster deeper mutual understanding.
New Pillars for Future Cooperation
Looking ahead, the two leaders agreed to make science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation new pillars of bilateral relations. They pledged to explore further cooperation in space technology, including the launch of the LOTUSat-1 satellite, and to enhance joint efforts in healthcare, agriculture, and intellectual property protection.
The joint statement concluded with a strong affirmation of the two countries’ commitment to work closely together within multilateral frameworks to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and the world.
