Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on Kanagawa prefecture of Japan to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese localities, during a meeting with its governor Kuroiwa Yuji on November 15 evening in Hanoi.
The Vietnamese government leader thanked the Japanese official for his efforts to foster cooperation and exchanges between Kanagawa and Vietnam, expressing his belief that Kuroiwa’s visit will further strengthen and concretise cooperation between the two sides, contributing to the robust, substantive, and effective development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan across fields.
He proposed enhancing delegation exchanges and local partnerships between the two sides through flexible approaches and urged Kanagawa to foster practical and effective cooperation with Vietnamese provinces and cities; encourage its businesses to invest in Vietnam; and boost bilateral trade, including facilitating the export of Vietnamese farm produce to Japan.
Chinh also called for strengthened collaboration in human resources, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges, along with continued support to ensure favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the Japanese locality.
Applauding the signing of a memorandum of understanding on healthcare cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and Kanagawa authorities, he suggested the Japanese locality expand cooperation and share its experiences in socio-economic development, health care, and addressing population aging challenges.
Kuroiwa, who was honoured with Vietnam’s Friendship Order and also led delegations of Kanagawa businesses to Vietnam for seven times, affirmed his commitment to further promoting collaborative activities, especially in areas proposed by the Vietnamese PM.
He said during his visit, he met with officials from ministries, sectors, and localities of Vietnam, signed an MoU on cooperation with the ministry, held an investment seminar on IT cooperation in Ho Chi Minh City, organised a Kanagawa education festival in central Da Nang city, and hosted a cultural festival in Hanoi.
Kanagawa, one of Japan's economic hubs, excels in heavy industry, trade, services, hi-tech agriculture, and health care. Nearly 40 businesses from the prefecture are investing in Vietnam, while it hosts investments from about 20 Vietnamese companies. Kanagawa is also among the top five Japanese localities recording the largest Vietnamese communities with nearly 30,000 residents./.
