Tokyo (VNA) – Professor Toshiro Nishizawa of the University of Tokyo has highlighted the increasingly prominent role of Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) and local authorities in promoting socio-economic development, as well as the importance of parliamentary cooperation to general relations between Vietnam and Japan.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency about the performance of Vietnam's 15th NA (the 2021–2026 tenure), Nishizawa said that although the legislature faced numerous disruptions in the post-pandemic period, it demonstrated strong determination in the latter half of its term by pursuing institutional reforms and improving administrative efficiency.
Many media outlets and observers of Vietnam, he added, have offered positive evaluations, describing the legislature as having “advanced the modernisation of state governance”.
Regarding the decision to hold the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People's Councils at all levels for 2026–2031 about two months earlier than usual, the professor said the move will facilitate the implementation of Vietnam’s 2026 socio-economic development plan, which targets economic growth of over 10%. Moreover, for Vietnam – a country pursuing a multipolar diplomatic strategy, the earlier election is also necessary to respond to an increasingly uncertain international environment.
On the prospects for enhanced parliamentary cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in the coming years, Nishizawa recalled that last August, a delegation of members of Japan’s House of Representatives, led by Yuko Obuchi, Chairperson of the Japan – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, visited the Southeast Asian nation.
The delegation’s trip included courtesy calls on Party General Secretary To Lam and NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, meetings with head of the Vietnam – Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Le Minh Hung, and exchanges with representatives from five Mekong Delta localities at the Can Tho investment promotion seminar.
Parliamentary cooperation, Nishizawa said, constitutes a meaningful component of the broader bilateral relationship between the two countries. To promote this, both sides should identify priority areas of shared interest and focus dialogue on those fields.
More broadly, expanding people-to-people exchanges will help reinforce Vietnam’s image as a dynamic, peaceful, and mutually respectful nation, he went on.
He added that the experience of Vietnam – Japan parliamentary cooperation could also be applied more widely to parliamentary diplomacy in general, stressing the importance of building mutual trust, maintaining patience in dialogue, and increasing the frequency of exchanges./.
