The visit marks Vietnam as the first country in the region visited by Takaichi since her election in February 2026, highlighting Japan’s strong regard for bilateral ties as both nations enter a new phase of development.
Following an official welcoming ceremony, the two prime ministers held talks and are expected to attend a series of high level meetings during the visit, which runs from May 1 to May 3.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae review the honour guard of the Vietnam People's Army (Photo: Hai Long).
Japan’s ambassador to Vietnam, Ito Naoki, said Tokyo aims to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with discussions set to cover energy, economic security, rare earths, people to people exchanges and academic cooperation.
Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1973 and upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023.
Japan is Vietnam’s largest provider of official development assistance, its leading labour cooperation partner, its third largest investor, and its fourth largest partner in trade and tourism.
Bilateral trade reached about USD 52 billion in 2025, nearly double the USD 27.4 billion recorded in 2014, and rose 11 per cent compared with 2024.
In January, two way trade totalled USD 4.87 billion, up 27.7 per cent year on year. Vietnam exported goods worth USD 2.53 billion, up 17.8 per cent, while imports from Japan reached USD 2.34 billion, up 40.5 per cent.
Vietnam’s main exports include seafood, garments, footwear, machinery and wood products, while imports from Japan focus on machinery, electronic components, steel and chemicals.
As of January 31, Japan had 5,722 valid investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of USD 78.9 billion, ranking third among foreign investors.
Japanese investment is concentrated in manufacturing and processing at 61 per cent, electricity production at 15 per cent and real estate at 12 per cent, and is spread across most provinces and cities, with major flows into Ho Chi Minh City, Thanh Hoa, Hanoi, Haiphong and Dong Nai.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae pose for a group photo (Photo: Hai Long).
Japan is also Vietnam’s largest provider of yen denominated loans, with total lending reaching about JPY 2.55 trillion (over USD 23 billion) by the end of fiscal year 2025.
The Vietnamese community in Japan now exceeds 680,000 people, making it the second largest foreign community in the country, with residents living and working across all 47 prefectures.