General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam received Nikai Toshihiro, former chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, and governors of several Japanese localities, in Tokyo on November 10, as part of his official visit to Japan.
The Japanese governors included Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, Niigata Governor Hanazumi Hideyo, Yamanashi Governor Nagasaki Kotaro, Mie Governor Ichimi Katsuyuki, and Wakayama Governor Miyazaki Izumi.
At the reception, General Secretary and President Lam expressed his delight at the strong and substantive development of the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across various fields, stressing that Japan remains one of Vietnam's leading strategic partners, with a high level of political trust.
He appreciated the warm and sincere sentiments that Nikai and the governors had shown towards Vietnam and its people, and highly valued their active and effective contributions to cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade, healthcare, high-tech agriculture, sustainable development and people-to-people exchanges.
Welcoming cooperation between Vietnamese and Japanese localities, General Secretary and President Lam noted that Vietnam had recently reorganised its administrative units to concentrate resources, unlock local potential and advantages, expand development space, strengthen regional linkages, create new momentum for development, promote growth and economic restructuring, and improve state management.
The implementation of a two-tier local government system, together with greater decentralisation and more autonomy and accountability for local authorities, will significantly enhance connectivity and cooperation between localities in the two countries, he added.
For their part, Nikai and the governors highly valued the two countries' adoption of a Joint Vision Statement, saying it ushers in a new period of more substantive, comprehensive and effective development of bilateral relations.
Expressing their admiration for Vietnam's renewal process, sound development policies and economic dynamism, they voiced their hope that more businesses from their localities would cooperate with and invest in Vietnam for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.
They also expressed their desire to continue sharing experience in disaster response and affirmed their support for stronger cooperation with Vietnam in areas with significant potential, including tourism, agricultural technology, labour, agriculture, science and technology, energy, and exchanges between localities and their people.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (right) receives former chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Nikai Toshihiro and governors of several Japanese localities in Tokyo on November 10, 2026. (Photo: VNA)
During the meeting, General Secretary and President To Lam called on Nikai and the governors to continue serving as bridges for cooperation with Vietnamese localities, particularly in emerging fields such as science and technology, innovation, digital and green transformation, artificial intelligence and smart cities.
He also encouraged Japanese businesses to expand their investment in Vietnam in areas where they have strengths, including manufacturing, clean energy, infrastructure and logistics, while stepping up cooperation in training and recruiting Vietnamese workers, engineers and other highly skilled personnel.
He stressed the need to step up cultural exchanges, tourism cooperation and youth exchanges to make the Vietnam-Japan Tourism Year 2027 a major success and further strengthen the lasting friendship between the two peoples.
Vietnam stands ready to provide the most favourable conditions for businesses from Japanese localities to cooperate, invest and operate successfully in the country, he affirmed.
