Japan remains the biggest investor in Vietnam with its share of investment rising sharply in recent years, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

"In 2012 Japanese investment represented 50 percent of the total investment the country attracted," the Sai Gon Giai Phong (the Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper quoted Nguyen Ba Cuong, deputy head of the Foreign Investment Agency, as saying.

According to Cuong, as of June, Japanese investors had poured 32.6 billion USD in 1,990 projects in the country.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of leading provinces and cities in attracting Japanese investment.

A spokesperson for the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA) said most of the Japanese projects in industrial zones are doing well, and many have expanded following a period of operation.

The city's neighbouring province of Dong Nai has also attracted many investors from Japan .

In the first half of this year, it issued licences for 20 Japanese projects with a total investment of more than 183 million USD, which accounted for 54 percent of the total foreign investment.

Analysts expect Japanese investment to continue to grow, especially with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signing a decision to approve Vietnam's industrialisation strategy within the framework of Vietnam–Japan cooperation.

Under the decision, Vietnam will focus on six priority industries — electronics, agricultural machinery, agricultural and fisheries processing, shipbuilding, environment and energy saving, and automobiles and auto spare parts – to make them internationally competitive and bring high value addition.

They will play a leading role in attracting domestic and foreign investment, especially Japanese, and creating technology and skilled workers for the economy in general.

To further attract Japanese investors, the ministry said it would offer incentives and provide support to help them operate successfully.

HEPZA said it would solicit investment in the machinery and electronics industries and plans to carve out a Vietnam – Japan Industrial Area in the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone in HCM City .

It will also organise trade promotion events in Japan to attract investors.-VNA