Vietnam and Japan have inked 12 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in different fields, including one on sending more Vietnamese workers to the Northeast Asian country.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Secretary-General of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Nikai Toshihiro in Hoi An on Jan 12. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The agreements and MOUs were signed on January 12 at the meeting between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Japanese Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai.

Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling LDP, also agreed with Phuc that the Japanese and Vietnamese governments will cooperate to eliminate predatory businesses for better working environment for Vietnamese workers, according to Jiji Press.

Nikai, who was accompanied by a delegation of more than 1,000 representatives of Japanese companies and state agencies, talked with Phuc about the further cooperation in different sectors.

The huge delegation reflects the two countries’ strategic partnership in a wide range of fields, Phuc said.

He said the Vietnam – Japan ties have been strongly enhanced over the past years within the framework “Toward a Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia” set up in 2014. Vietnam considers Japan the leading important, reliable, and long-term partner, the Vietnamese PM affirmed at the meeting in Hoi An city.

Nikai explained plans to invite 150 Vietnamese students to Japan over the coming five years as part of youth exchange efforts. The two officials also agreed that their countries will share knowledge acquired through their experiences in responding to natural disasters.

The two sides agreed to boost cooperation in investment, trade, labor, tourism, among others.

Japan’s new law will allow about 345,000 foreign blue-collar workers to enter Japan over five years in 14 sectors such as construction and nursing care, which face acute labor shortages. One category of “specified skilled workers” can stay up to five years but cannot bring families.

Statistics by the Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) showed that in 2018 alone, the number of trainees sent to Japan reached nearly 70,000, accounting for more than 50% of the workers admitted by Japan.

At present, nearly 200,000 Vietnamese workers and trainees are working in Japan.