Vietnam-Japan Meeting 2012 to take place in Tokyo, Fukuoka

The Vietnam-Japan Meeting 2012 will take place in Tokyo and Fukuoka city, Japan, from September 13-18.
The event is among a series of activities to celebrate the 40 th anniversary of the two countries’ bilateral diplomatic ties. It is expected to beef up the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership, especially in trade and economic cooperation. In addition, it will be an opportunity for Vietnam to promote the image of its people, land and potentials as well as enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples.
During the programme, a forum on promoting investment in industrial zones and coastal economic zones is scheduled to take place on Sept. 13. It is expected to draw more than 400 policy makers, investors and major businesses from across Japan .
The talks on Vietnam-Japan cooperation in vocational training and human resources development will be held on Sept. 14 with the participation of leaders from Japan ’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and representatives from six colleges and vocational training schools of Vietnam . It aims to assess demands and potentials and put forth measures for bilateral cooperation in the field.
The Vietnam Festival will be held from Sept. 15 and 16 with many outdoor activities, including “ao dai” show and art performances.
Japan is currently Vietnam ’s leading foreign investor and third largest export market. Two-way trade hit 21.2 billion USD in 2011, and is expected to reach 40 billion USD by 2020.
In the first five months of this year, Japanese investors poured 3.68 billion USD into Vietnam , accounting for 61 percent of the nation’s total foreign investment.
Japan is also the largest single provider of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam , with 24 billion USD since 1992.
Japanese tourists presently make up 10 percent of foreign arrivals to Vietnam.