Takaichi agrees to deepen economic security cooperation with Vietnam, including semiconductors and AI.

Takaichi agrees to deepen economic security cooperation with Vietnam, including semiconductors and AI.

[Visit to Viet Nam (2)] On May 2, 2026 (local time), Prime Minister Takaichi who is visiting Hanoi, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, attended a document exchange ceremony and a joint press announcement with H.E. Mr. Le Minh Hung, Prime Minister of Viet Nam. Prime Minister Takaichi made the following remarks at the joint press announcement: "I would like to once again extend my sincere congratulations to Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and the new Vietnamese leadership inaugurated in April this year. I am delighted that, at this important juncture, I have been able to visit Vietnam and confirm that we will advance cooperation based on our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a Vietnam that is pursuing reforms in this new era. Vietnam, befitting Hanoi’s other name, Thăng Long—“the Ascending Dragon”—has achieved remarkable development with tremendous momentum. In recent years, many Japanese companies have expanded their operations into Vietnam, recognizing the country as playing a vital role as an important hub in the supply chain. Moreover, at a time when the international environment is becoming increasingly severe, Vietnam has been pursuing proactive and active diplomacy under the banner of strategic autonomy. It is with the conviction that strengthening cooperation with Vietnam is of paramount importance for the realization and upgrading of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) that I have visited this country. Earlier, Prime Minister Hưng and I confirmed our cooperation to make Japan, Vietnam, and the broader Indo-Pacific region stronger and more prosperous together. In the economic sphere, we agreed to deepen cooperation by positioning economic security—including energy, critical minerals, AI, semiconductors, and space—as a new priority area in our bilateral cooperation. In particular, in response to the situation in the Middle East, we reached agreement to move forward with support through NEXI for crude oil procurement at the Nghi Sơn Refinery as the first project under the “POWERR Asia” initiative that I recently launched. Regarding critical minerals, we concurred on strengthening close coordination to ensure stable supply and enhance supply chain resilience. In the field of security, we agreed to further advance concrete security cooperation for the peace and stability of the region. With respect to people-to-people exchanges, we agreed to strengthen cooperation in consular affairs in order to facilitate smooth exchanges between our two countries. On regional and international affairs, we exchanged views not only on the situation in the Middle East, but also on various challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea, and responses to North Korea, including its nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue. We also confirmed the importance of strategically expanding the CPTPP while maintaining its high standards, under Vietnam’s chairmanship this year. Following this, I will visit Vietnam National University t