Politburo Member and Party Central Committee Secretary Nguyễn Duy Ngọc, Head of the Commission for Organization of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and Chair of the Việt Nam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group, presided over the meeting. Participants included Việt Nam-Japan Friendship Association President Tô Huy Rứa, a former Politburo Member and former Chair of the Commission for Organization, and Deputy Prime Minister and Party Central Committee Secretary Phạm Thị Thanh Trà. Members of the friendship group, senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Việt Nam-Japan Friendship Association, and representatives of other relevant bodies also attended. Japan was represented by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Việt Nam Ito Naoki and representatives of the Japanese Embassy, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other Japanese bodies.

Điện Biên was represented by provincial Party Committee Secretary Trần Tiến Dũng, a Member of the Party Central Committee, Head of the province’s National Assembly Deputy Delegation and member of the friendship group.

Expanding local cooperation and promoting investment

During the discussion on priorities for the 16th term and plans for the rest of 2026 and for 2027, provincial Party Committee Secretary Trần Tiến Dũng accepted the Chair’s assignment to join the group working to promote economic, financial, trade and investment cooperation. He pledged to do his part to carry out the assignment.

He proposed broadening the focus on local cooperation and agricultural development to cover local ties and investment promotion. That would extend cooperation beyond agriculture and forestry. He said Điện Biên was working through the Japanese Embassy to establish cooperation and sister-province ties with Ibaraki Prefecture. He asked the Chair to raise the proposal with the Japanese Ambassador, with the aim of signing a cooperation agreement between the two localities in 2027.

Citing the importance of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, provincial Party Committee Secretary Trần Tiến Dũng proposed that the group take part in Điện Biên Cherry Blossom Tourism Week as part of its 2027 program. Điện Biên now has about 25 hectares of cherry blossom trees and plans to hold the event every January.

Closer coordination between the two parliamentary friendship groups

After its internal meeting, the Việt Nam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group received Japanese Ambassador to Việt Nam Ito Naoki. They discussed how the group could coordinate its work with the Việt Nam-Japan Friendship Association and the Japanese Embassy in Việt Nam.

Việt Nam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Chair Nguyễn Duy Ngọc stressed the group’s role in promoting cooperation and exchanges between the two countries’ legislatures and lawmakers. Reporting on the recent official visit to Japan by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm, he said talks took place with leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Chair of the Japan-Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance and JICA leaders. He said the two sides agreed on the importance of closer exchanges between their ruling parties and parliamentary friendship groups, and of working together to train officials for strategic-level posts in the coming period.

Chair Nguyễn Duy Ngọc praised the Ambassador and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for helping prepare the visit and contributing to its success. He said he hoped the Japanese Embassy would continue working closely with the group to make bilateral friendship and cooperation more effective and deliver practical results.