Milestones in Vietnam - Japan Relations

From mid-1971, the counsellors and secretary of the General Representative Office of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Embassy of Japan had met several times. Then Ambassador Nguyen Vo Van Sung and Japanese Ambassador Y. Nakayama signed the Official Note of Exchange on the Establishment of Vietnam - Japan Formal Diplomatic Relations” on September 21, 1973 in Paris, France.

 

November 1992: Japan is one of the first countries to restore aid to Vietnam

The Government of Japan became the first nation to announce the restoration of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam in November 1992. This decision was very important as it paved the way for the expansion of economic development cooperation between the two countries.

 

Besides, this also had a strong impact on changing the perception and concepts of many partners about Vietnam. After Japan in 1993, international organisations and other countries also began to provide ODA to Vietnam.

 

April 2003: “Vietnam - Japan Joint Initiative”

On April 7, 2003, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed and decided to deploy Japan - Vietnam Joint Initiative, aiming to improve the investment environment and enhance the competitiveness of Vietnam.

 

The purpose of the agreement was to enhance the competitiveness of Vietnam’s economy by promoting foreign direct investment (FDI). Besides, the Joint Initiative shared, applied special and prioritised policies and measures to thoroughly promote the active involvement and commitment of the two governments.

 

With the desire to further strengthen economic ties based on increased investment, on November 14, 2003, Vietnamese Minister Vo Hong Phuc of Planning and Investment, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, signed the Agreement on Investment Protection, Promotion and Liberalisation. The agreement consists of 23 articles and a memorandum of understanding, with the aim of facilitating investments for investors of both countries.

 

Within the framework of his official visit to Japan in 2007, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem of Vietnam held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso. On behalf of the two governments, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the Vietnam - Japan Cooperation Committee.

 

This mechanism is designed to handle broad-scale specific issues to further promote multi-faceted cooperation towards strategic partnership between the two countries. The two foreign ministers were the co-chairs of the committee.

 

As of July 2012, the committee had hosted four ministerial meetings.

 

During his official visit to Japan in 2006, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Japanese leaders agreed to launch negotiations on the Vietnam - Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA) to further promote bilateral relations, and on December 25, 2008, Vietnam and Japan officially signed VJEPA.

 

VJEPA is a bilateral comprehensive agreement covering trade in goods, trade in services, investment, business environment improvement, labour mobility, and cooperation on technical standards. The agreement has created a closer, more comprehensive legal framework for economic and trade relations between the two countries to strengthen Vietnam’s position in the region and in the world.

 

Developing supporting industries is considered crucial for Vietnam’s objective of improving and developing production and business environment. In 2010, Japan began sending senior volunteers to support Vietnam in developing supporting industries.

 

Since the beginning of 2010, many senior volunteers, including former presidents, general managers and leading experts of Japanese manufacturers, were sent to Vietnam to provide Vietnamese companies with consultancy on techniques in management and production. With their assistance, many Vietnamese companies have made significant progress to become major parts suppliers for Japanese companies in Vietnam.

 

December 2010: Vietnam and Japan hold the first Vietnam - Japan Strategic Partnership Dialogue

In December 2010, the first Vietnam - Japan Strategic Partnership Dialogue took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. The Vietnam delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son and the Japanese side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Koro Bessho.

 

The dialogue contributed to strengthening Vietnam - Japan relations in all fields and to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

 

2013: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pays an official visit to Vietnam and opens Vietnam - Japan Friendship Year

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife paid an official visit to Vietnam from January 16 to 17, 2013. This was the first foreign visit that Mr Shinzo Abe made after taking office as prime minister for his second term.

 

On this visit, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe opened the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Year 2013 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relations (September 21, 1973 - 2013) and confirmed plans to work closely together to successfully organise celebrations and activities in each country.