HCMC – Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae will pay an official visit to Vietnam from May 1 to 3 at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

The visit follows a recent phone conversation between To Lam, Vietnam’s Party General Secretary and State President, and Takaichi Sanae, underscoring both countries’ efforts to enhance high-level exchanges and promote substantive cooperation across sectors in a new development phase. During the call ahead of the visit, the two sides welcomed the development of the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and agreed to step up cooperation in defense and security, economy, science and technology, digital transformation, and green transition. The Japanese government leader affirmed that Japan attaches importance to Vietnam’s role and supports the country’s development goals, particularly in implementing the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision. For his part, To Lam expressed a desire to strengthen coordination with Japan to ensure energy security and prevent disruptions to global supply chains. Economic cooperation remains a key pillar, with Japan’s new investments in Vietnam reaching US$3.1 billion in 2025, up 20% year-on-year, bringing the total so far to around US$80 billion. Bilateral trade currently stands at about US$50 billion annually. Under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, the two countries have agreed to pilot around 15 investment projects worth a combined US$20 billion, focusing on renewable energy such as offshore wind power and LNG-fired power. In defense and security, ties have advanced with the successful holding of the first deputy minister-level 2+2 foreign and defense dialogue in Tokyo. Naval exchanges have also intensified, including a visit to Japan by Vietnam’s frigate 015-Tran Hung Dao and port calls in Vietnam by Japanese destroyers Onami and Asahi. As Vietnam prepares to host Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) next year and assume the chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), both countries reaffirmed their commitment to contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the wider international community.