03/05/2025 13:27
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Mr. Kuratomi Sumio, Chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh
On the morning of March 5, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received Mr. Kuratomi Sumio, Chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation (Japan).
At the reception, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son expressed his delight at the steady development of the Vietnam-Japan relationship, which has become increasingly substantive and effective in all fields after more than a year of upgrading to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Economic cooperation continues to be the main pillar of Vietnam-Japan relations, in which Japan continues to be Vietnam's leading economic partner, Vietnam's number 1 partner in ODA and labor cooperation, the third largest foreign investor, and the fourth largest trade and tourism partner of Vietnam.
According to JETRO's 2025 Report, nearly 60% of Japanese enterprises wish to expand investment and business in Vietnam in the coming years, the highest among ASEAN member countries.
In the general development of bilateral relations, cooperation between Japanese localities, including Kyushu, and Vietnamese localities has been taking place smoothly thanks to the support and facilitation of both governments, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister emphasized.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son asked Mr. Kuratomi Sumio to further promote economic ties between Vietnam and the Kyushu region, especially in areas such as renewable energy, science and technology, infrastructure development, digital transformation, green transformation, environmental protection, and climate change response.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son also hopes that Kyushu will increase labor reception and cooperate in training high-quality human resources for Vietnam in areas where Japan has strengths and Vietnam has demand, such as semiconductor chips and digital transformation.
Besides the economic field, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son also suggested that Kyushu promote more substantive and effective people-to-people exchanges, contributing to enhancing trust and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son asked Mr. Kuratomi Sumio to further promote economic ties between Vietnam and the Kyushu region - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh
On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked President Kuratomi Sumio and the Kyushu Economic Federation for their attention and support to the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka and the Vietnamese community living and working stably in the Kyushu region.
The Chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation said that this is the 8th visit to Vietnam by the Kyushu Economic Federation with many exciting activities in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to promote economic relations and people-to-people exchanges between Kyushu and localities of Vietnam.
Members of the Kyushu Economic Federation highly appreciated Vietnam's determination in developing the semiconductor sector, saying that the delegation had made working trips to Vietnam to explore opportunities for cooperation in training human resources in this field.
Appreciating the practical cooperation activities of Kyushu with Vietnamese ministries, branches and localities, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son hopes that cooperation between localities will not only be limited to traditional fields but also need to expand to new fields, such as semiconductors, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, big data, in which Japan has strengths and Vietnam is focusing on developing.
Regarding cooperation in human resource training, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister welcomed and affirmed his readiness to support the connection of universities of both sides to cooperate in training human resources to serve the needs of both Vietnam and Japan.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son believes that the Chairman and members of the Kyushu Economic Federation will have a successful visit to Vietnam, with specific cooperation projects each time.
The Kyushu region, meaning "Nine Provinces", is located in western Japan, consisting of eight provinces: Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa, and its capital, Fokuoka Prefecture.
The Kyushu region has more than 200 companies investing in Vietnam, focusing on engineering, electronic components, garment, construction, and service industries.
There are currently nearly 60,000 Vietnamese people living, studying and working in the Kyushu region, making it the largest foreign community in the region.
The Kyushu Economic Federation was established in 1961 with the aim of promoting the economy and uniting the business community of the Kyushu region.
The Federation has 1,000 members who are potential companies in Japan, based in the Kyushu region and Yamaguchi prefecture.
The Federation's member companies are mainly in the following fields: Manufacturing, trade, construction, information and communication, financial insurance, and logistics.
Mr. Kuratomi Sumio is currently the President of the Federation and also the President of Nishi-Nippon Railway Group, having great influence on Japanese politicians and business people.
Mr. Kuratomi Sumio's predecessor was Mr. Aso Yutaka, the younger brother of former Japanese Prime Minister Aso Taro.
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