Tokyo (VNA) – An investme🐟nt promotion conference was held in Tokyo on June 2 to call for Japanese investment in localitiesof Vietnam.

The event drew the participation of leadersof the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Vietnam in Japan,representatives of four localities, namely Can Tho city, and Kon Tum, Bac Lieuand Thua Thien-Hue provinces, and businesses of the two countries. It was part of the activities to mark the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japandiplomatic ties. Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese DeputyMinister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said ample room remains forthe development of bilateral cooperation in general and cooperation betweenVietnamese and Japanese localities, contributing to the enhancement of their relations and bringingbenefits to the people of the two countries. According to Tsukada Manabu, SeniorDirector for Global Strategy (Southeast Asia) at the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO),Vietnam plays an increasingly prominent role in the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) on attracting investment from Japanese enterprises. The result of a recent survey conducted by JETRO showed that up to 60% of Japanese enterprises said they will expandtheir investment in Vietnam, while only 47% of businesses said they will expand theirinvestment in Southeast Asia in general. This fact shows that Vietnam is appreciatedby Japanese businesses more than ASEAN in terms of cooperationpotential and market resilience. Nguyen Huu Thap, Vice Chairman of the Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee, said that since2017, the province has sent eight business delegations to Japan and welcomed 31delegations of Japanese experts, scientists and representative agencies. According to the official, there are 33 official developmentassistance (ODA) projects funded by the Japanese Government in Kon Tumprovince to improve socio-economic infrastructure with a total investment of 16million USD. It has also received more than 2.17 million USD from Japaneseorganisations for the implementation of 14 projects, focusing on healthcare,rural infrastructure construction and education-training. Kon Tum province prioritises attractinginvestment in the fields of high-tech agriculture, renewable energy, urbandevelopment, eco-tourism and community, Thap added. Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc He, Vice Chairmanof the Can Tho City People's Committee, said it intends to offer favourable conditionsfor investors to push up the locality’s development in a sustainable manner.Accordingly, domestic and foreign businesses will enjoy preferential policieson customs procedures, corporate income tax and land rent exemption for the long term. Within the framework of the conference, participantswitnessed the granting of an investment certificate of Thua Thien-Hueprovince to Okura Industrial Company of Japan and the exchange of contracts betweenSaigon - Hue Investment Joint Stock Company and the Okura Industrial Company./.