Japanese Prime Minister to pay official visit to Vietnam in early May

Japanese Prime Minister, Ms. Takaichi Sanae, will pay an official visit to Vietnam from May 1-3, at the invitation of her Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Hung, according to an announcement released on April 28 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This will be Ms. Takaichi Sanae's first visit to Vietnam in her capacity as the Japanese Prime Minister.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki was quoted by Vietnam’s Government News as stating at a press meeting in Hanoi on April 28 that the visit reflects the fact that Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae personally and her Government attach importance to the relations between Vietnam and Japan.

It also demonstrates their recognition and high regard for Vietnam's role on the international stage, the ambassador said.

He noted that the visit aims to strengthen and build trust between the leaders of the two countries. Both sides will discuss key areas of cooperation in the coming period, such as the economy, energy, and people-to-people exchanges.

Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1973 and upgraded their ties into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. Japan is Vietnam's largest provider of ODA, biggest labor cooperation partner, third-largest investor, and fourth-largest partner in tourism and trade.

Bilateral trade value reached over $51.43 billion last year. The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam reported that in the first quarter of this year, the figure increased by 12.7 percent compared to the same period last year, with expectations reaching $60 billion by 2027.

As of January 31, 2026, Japan had 5,722 valid investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of $78.9 billion, ranking third among 153 countries and territories investing in the latter.

In the semiconductor sector, Vietnam aims to train 500 PhD researchers by 2030, and Japan has announced it will accept about half of them through international joint research programs.

There are more than 680,000 Vietnamese people living in Japan, making them the second-largest foreign community in the country.