Chargé d’affaires Nguyễn Đức Minh at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan speaks at the ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Japonica - AAN has become the second Vietnamese rice brand to have entered Japan, with a ceremony held on October 9 to debut the produce.

Addressing the launch, Chargé d’affaires Nguyễn Đức Minh at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan said Vietnamese rice has received high acclaim from demanding markets such as the US, Europe, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, which have increased importing the grain from Việt Nam over the past years.

In 2022, the AAN brand of ST25, a Vietnamese variety winning the World’s Best Rice title, hit the shelves of Japanese supermarkets, marking the first time such a brand of Việt Nam had successfully accessed one of the world’s most choosy markets.

The launch of the second brand, Japonica - AAN, continues to demonstrate Việt Nam’s determination to improve farm produce quality and conquer demanding markets, including Japan, he noted.

The diplomat added that the progress in the rice production and trade cooperation reflects the Việt Nam-Japan friendship, expressing his hope that many more agricultural products from Việt Nam will reach Japanese consumers.

Chairman of the Tân Long Group Trương Sỹ Bá said his firm will work harder so that other varieties branded AAN from Việt Nam will gradually make inroads into choosy markets like Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, and Europe.

He shared that Tân Long successfully exported five containers, equivalent to about 100 tonnes, of ST25 to Japan on a trial basis in 2022. Two years later, its Japonica rice managed to enter this market, with the 2024 volume expected to approximate 6,000 tonnes.

Bá perceived that Vietnamese rice holds great potential in Japan, which is facing a grain output decline. Japan’s stringent import regulations require Vietnamese businesses, especially Tân Long, ensure control over paddy fields as well as plant protection product residues. He hoped that more Vietnamese rice, especially AAN, will come to this market in the future.

President of Kiraboshi Bank Watanabe Hisanobu said that his bank, opening a branch in HCM City in 2019, assisted with the export of ST25 to Japan in 2022 to meet the demand of Vietnamese people in his country. Thanks to efforts by related parties like the Tokairin, Spice House, Suntomi, and Tân Long companies, the second Vietnamese brand has successfully entered Japan.

He also voiced his hope that Japonica - AAN will be warmly welcomed by both Japanese consumers and the Vietnamese community here. — VNS