HCMC attractive to Japanese investors
Speaking at a meeting on Monday with HCMC chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, Koji Maeno, who is also general director of JFE Steel Vietnam, said annual dialogues between the city government and JBAH have over the years helped remove a lot of obstacles to operations of Japanese firms in the city.
He said Japanese experts had come here with family as living conditions in the city and neighboring provinces have improved.
There are 834 Japanese firms operating in HCMC as members of the association and they employ 3,000 Japanese and 220,000 Vietnamese.
JBAH became the fourth largest Japanese business association in the world behind the associations in Shanghai (China), Bangkok (Thailand) and Singapore. The Japanese Business Association in Hanoi has 632 member companies.
This demonstrates the appeal of the city to Japanese enterprises, Maeno said.
Phong said Japan is one of the most important partners of HCMC in various fields including economy, trade, investment, culture and education. The city is committed to maintaining the annual meetings to solve any issues faced by Japanese firms.
Phong said the association could do more to contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two sides, especially in sectors in which Japan is strong such as supporting industries, high-tech and agriculture.
Phong said the city will hold a meeting from September 6 to 8 with the participation of about 14 cities. The conference will feature business matching sessions and a supporting industries fair, which Phong said JBAH could ask its members to join.
