The Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA) officially came into effect as of June 24, after the Japanese House of Councillors approved the agreement at its plenary session.

The agreement was adopted by the Japanese Lower House – the House of  Representatives—on May 28.

Vietnam and Japan started negotiations on the VJEPA in January 2007, shortly after Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Following nine official negotiations and many informal talks, the two countries agreed in principle in September 2008 and then officially signed the VJEPA on December 25, 2008.

The VJEPA is the 10th free trade agreement that Japan has signed with other nations, but it is Vietnam’s first bilateral free trade pact since joining the WTO.

One of the agreement’s targets is to strengthen bilateral cooperation in agriculture, industry, trade, investment, human resource development, tourism, the environment and transport.

Under the terms of the VJEPA, within 10 years after the agreement takes effect, Japan will exempt tariffs for 94 percent of Vietnam’s exports and particularly, 86 percent of its agricultural exports to Japan - the highest commitments Japan has made to an ASEAN member nation. 

Talking with a Tokyo-based correspondent for the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Nguyen Phu Binh, said the agreement was ratified in a timely fashion, helping the two nations realise their goals relative to each other as economic partners. 

Binh said both countries need to make the necessary preparations to ensure the effective enforcement of the VJEPA. 

For example, Vietnam must work to ensure quarantine and food hygiene guidelines are met for its agricultural products exported to Japan, he said, adding that the two sides will have to quickly cooperate in ironing out the specifics of such guidelines. 

Regarding Japan’s opening of its labour market to Vietnamese nurses and hospital orderlies, the diplomat noted that there remains an obstacle in terms of the differences between diplomas and certificates of the two countries. 

In Japan, nurses or hospital orderlies who want to practise in their profession have to get national certificates, while Vietnam has yet to set out similar regulations, he said. 

Under the agreement, Japan will assist Vietnam in training nurses and orderlies before employing them for at least seven years.  Japan will also help Vietnam build training programmes and a national certificate system to develop human resources qualified to work in Japan and other countries.

Binh noted the VJEPA covers a wide range of issues, therefore the two nations have a lot of work ahead of them in implementing the agreement effectively. 

However, with the concerted efforts of both sides, the agreement will soon come to life, the ambassador stressed./.