Representatives of leaders and agencies of HCM City and Kanagawa Prefecture shake hands at the first Investment Seminar held in HCM City. — Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Kanagawa Prefecture held its first Investment Seminar with the participation of leaders from HCM City and Kanagawa Prefecture, along with representatives of agencies and organisations of both sides and domestic and foreign enterprises.

At the seminar, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Võ Văn Hoan said that with the attention of leaders of both sides, as well as the enthusiastic support of organisations, businesses and people, HCM City and Yokohama City, the largest city of Kanagawa Prefecture, have implemented many specific and practical cooperative activities since the two sides established friendly and cooperative relations in 2007.

The relationship between HCM City and Kanagawa Prefecture, and Japan in general, has always been built and developed on a foundation of trust and goodwill, fostering long-term cooperation.

Hoan highly appreciated the active and dynamic role of Japanese enterprises, including those from Kanagawa, in the socio-economic development of the city.

This is the first Kanagawa Investment Seminar organised by Kanagawa Prefecture in HCM City to seek new cooperation opportunities aligned with the strategic orientation of the two localities as well as the two countries in general.

Hoan believes that the decision of Kanagawa's Government to choose HCM City as the venue for the first Kanagawa Investment Seminar not only comes from interest and affection for the city and the goodwill to promote the HCM City-Kanagawa relationship in particular, and Việt Nam-Japan in general, but is also based on the positive recognition of the city's potential and prospects for contributing to bilateral relationship.

Ono Masuo, Consul General of Japan in HCM City, said that to promote cooperation with Việt Nam, since 2015, Kanagawa began organising the "Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa" in Japan and, since 2018, it has held the "Kanagawa Festival in Vietnam".

This year, for the first time, the Kanagawa Investment Seminar was held in HCM City to contribute to the future economic relationship between the two localities.

Việt Nam has the third largest population in ASEAN and the income of its middle and upper classes is rising rapidly, Masuo stressed, adding that in terms of both scale and potential, Việt Nam has an outstanding growth rate and is considered an attractive market for foreign investors, including Japan.

Matsumoto Nobuyuki, Chief Representative of Jetro in HCM City, said data from annual surveys of the Japanese business community's investment environment reveal that Việt Nam is considered the second most attractive investment destination after the United States.

Japanese businesses already invested in Việt Nam rate the environment as the most attractive in the ASEAN region.

Việt Nam's advantages include a large, rather young population and a workforce with increasing access to science and technology, he said.

In addition to the investment direction from Japan to Việt Nam, more and more Vietnamese businesses are expanding their investment in Japan and yield positive results. Japan hopes that the two will continue to build a balanced and sustainable partnership, Nobuyuki added.

Introducing the local investment environment, Kuroiwa Yuji, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, said that Kanagawa is one of the provinces with high economic capacity in Japan with a transportation network that easily connects throughout the country.

Kanagawa is also an international exchange point between Japan and Asia and the world through commercial ports such as Yokohama Port, Kawasaki Port, Yokosuka Port and Haneda Airport.

Kanagawa is home to facilities producing automobiles and transport machinery and also the location chosen by global companies to set up their research and development centres and business headquarters.

The seminar is expected to not only open a new chapter in cooperation between HCM City and Kanagawa, but also foster economic cooperation and sustainable development between Việt Nam and Japan. — VNS