Japan 'offers advice' on green growth for win-win relationship with Vietnam

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki gives an interview to The Gioi and Viet Nam Newspaper on the sidelines of the 4th Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals (P4G) Summit held in Hanoi from April 14-17. (Photo: Thanh Long)

The P4G 2025 Summit hosted by Vietnam had the largest attendance ever, with about 1,700 delegates from more than 40 countries and international organizations, including leaders, representatives of countries, international organizations, scholars, experts and international and regional businesses. How do you personally evaluate the main achievements of the Summit?

I would like to congratulate the Government of Vietnam on successfully hosting the P4G Summit, which was a smooth and productive meeting. Participants agreed on the need to work together to address the key challenges of green growth.

What impressed me most was that many delegates mentioned the potential opportunities that this sector brings. Green growth is a path that every country needs to pursue, helping to expand the space for cooperation between countries, international organizations, as well as opportunities for public-private partnerships. In that spirit, I expect the international community to pay more attention and care to private sector investment and promote public-private partnerships.

The message "Sustainable green transformation, people-centered" can become a guideline for green growth cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in the coming time, Ambassador?

I believe that Japan and Vietnam have great potential for green growth cooperation. Both countries consider green growth as an important driving force for economic growth. Therefore, cooperation in this field will bring win-win results for both sides. Currently, Japan is very interested in promoting cooperation under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM). Up to now, we have had 50 projects between the two countries.

I hope that Japan and Vietnam can cooperate more closely within the JCM framework. In addition, we have also launched the AZEC cooperation initiative - Asia Zero Emission Community. Recently, the two governments have decided to prioritize the implementation of 14 pilot projects. These projects cover a wide range of areas such as renewable energy, solar energy, onshore and offshore wind power, as well as utilizing renewable energy to replace conventional energy. The project of coal-fired ammonia is also under consideration.

I believe that these 14 projects are very suitable for the green growth goal and will open up more opportunities for financial cooperation during implementation. I hope that the Vietnamese side will be able to provide a better legal framework and create more favorable conditions for cooperation between Japanese and Vietnamese enterprises.

P4G has gone through three Summits hosted by Denmark (2018), Korea (2021) and Colombia (2023) and the fourth in Vietnam (2025), continuing to affirm P4G's determination to contribute to the green and sustainable development of the region and the world, for a green planet and a green future. (Photo: Jackie Chan)

As the leading developed economy in Asia, what experiences and lessons in sustainable development can Japan share with Vietnam?

Japan has been experiencing a period of high economic growth, with double-digit growth rates - something that Vietnam is about to enter. However, we also face many challenges such as air pollution, river and ocean pollution - the consequences of rapid growth.

Therefore, I hope that Vietnamese businesses and the Vietnamese Government can learn from what we went through during that period of high growth. I believe that Japan can share its experiences and knowledge to help Vietnam follow a better growth path in the near future.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nhat-ba-n-hien-ke-tang-truong-ng-xanh-vi-quan-he-cu-ng-thang-voi-viet-nam-311827.html