Professor Toshiro Nishizawa of the University of Tokyo. VNA/VNS Photo

TOKYO — Professor Toshiro Nishizawa of the University of Tokyo has highlighted the increasingly prominent role of Việt Nam’s National Assembly (NA) and local authorities in promoting socio-economic development, as well as the importance of parliamentary cooperation to general relations between Việt Nam and Japan.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency about the performance of Việt Nam's 15th NA (the 2021–2026 tenure), Nishizawa said that although the legislature faced numerous disruptions in the post-pandemic period, it demonstrated strong determination in the latter half of its term by pursuing institutional reforms and improving administrative efficiency.

Many media outlets and observers of Việt Nam, he added, have offered positive evaluations, describing the legislature as having “advanced the modernisation of state governance”.

Regarding the decision to hold the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People's Councils at all levels for 2026–2031 about two months earlier than usual, the professor said the move will facilitate the implementation of Việt Nam’s 2026 socio-economic development plan, which targets economic growth of over 10 per cent. Moreover, for Việt Nam – a country pursuing a multipolar diplomatic strategy, the earlier election is also necessary to respond to an increasingly uncertain international environment.

On the prospects for enhanced parliamentary cooperation between Việt Nam and Japan in the coming years, Nishizawa recalled that last August, a delegation of members of Japan’s House of Representatives, led by Yuko Obuchi, Chairperson of the Japan – Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, visited the Southeast Asian nation.

The delegation’s trip included courtesy calls on Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, meetings with head of the Việt Nam – Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Lê Minh Hưng, and exchanges with representatives from five Mekong Delta localities at the Cần Thơ investment promotion seminar.

Parliamentary cooperation, Nishizawa said, constitutes a meaningful component of the broader bilateral relationship between the two countries. To promote this, both sides should identify priority areas of shared interest and focus dialogue on those fields.

More broadly, expanding people-to-people exchanges will help reinforce Việt Nam’s image as a dynamic, peaceful, and mutually respectful nation, he went on.

He added that the experience of Việt Nam – Japan parliamentary cooperation could also be applied more widely to parliamentary diplomacy in general, stressing the importance of building mutual trust, maintaining patience in dialogue, and increasing the frequency of exchanges. — VNA/VNS