Vu Dai Thang, chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, met Nobuhiko Yamaguchi, deputy governor of Osaka Prefecture, in Tokyo, and discussed comprehensive cooperation including innovation, smart cities, and agricultural digitalization. In Japan-Vietnam relations, where central-government-based cooperation via JICA and JETRO had been the mainstream, this is a turning point at which a model of direct cooperation between local governments came to the fore. Hanoi holds up becoming an Asia-Pacific innovation hub by 2065 and benchmarks the 'Osaka Innovation Hub' launched by Osaka Prefecture in 2013. Vietnam Agriculture & Environment We organize the reporting from
News detail: 29 April Tokyo talks, deepening cooperation with the Kansai region
The talks were held in Tokyo on 29 April 2026. The Hanoi side was represented by Vu Dai Thang, chairman of the city People's Committee, and the Japanese side by Nobuhiko Yamaguchi, deputy governor of Osaka Prefecture. The comprehensive areas discussed were as follows.
- Innovation and the development of science and technology
- Smart cities and infrastructure
- Urban rail systems
- Multi-layered urban space design
- Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
- Green and digital technology (via the Osaka Innovation Hub)
In the agricultural domain, the transfer of smart-agriculture know-how, agricultural robots, and plant-factory technology was raised as an agenda item. Osaka Prefecture established the 'Osaka Innovation Hub' in 2013 and holds a model that has promoted venture support, industry-academia collaboration, and international technology exchange. Hanoi aims to build its own innovation center with reference to this model.
Background: 'sub-national diplomacy' beyond the JICA route
Until now Japan-Vietnam agricultural cooperation has centered on central-government-based frameworks with JICA (the Japan International Cooperation Agency) and JETRO as the gateways. Representative examples are large ODA projects such as the 'Project for Strengthening Vietnam's High-Quality Agricultural Product Value Chains' and 'Improvement of Rice Cultivation Technology in the Mekong Delta,' all concluded between Japan's central ministries and Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
This time the Hanoi-Osaka direct cooperation is a textbook case of sub-national diplomacy that differs from such a centralized model. It has the advantage that local governments can conclude cooperation agreements directly and move quickly without waiting for central-government coordination. In Japan too, Fukuoka, Shimane, Hamamatsu, and others have in recent years strengthened direct ties with Asian local governments.
Areas covered by the cooperation talks
| Area | Specifics of cooperation |
|---|---|
| Innovation support | Deploying the Osaka Innovation Hub model in Hanoi |
| Smart farming | Plant factories, agricultural robots, IoT soil monitoring |
| Smart city | Urban infrastructure, transport systems, data linkage |
| Biotechnology | Pharmaceuticals, agricultural biotech, fermentation technology |
| Green technology | Renewable energy, circular agriculture |
| Scientist exchange | Connection with Japanese researchers and the science community |
| Venture investment | Ecosystem linkage with VCs and accelerators |
Background: Hanoi's '2065 Asia-Pacific innovation hub' strategy
At the talks, Chairman Vu Dai Thang stated, We aim for Hanoi to become an innovation hub for the Asia-Pacific」「to become, by 2065, a global city with a high quality of life, expressing a long-term vision. This is not mere diplomatic courtesy but part of a long-term plan the Hanoi city government officially sets out.
The chairman went on to say, We do not only extend invitations; we listen to and absorb ideas from scientists, showing an active stance toward exchanging talent with Japanese scientists and research institutions. This can be called a remark that grasps the essence of building an innovation hub—the mobility of talent and the mutual permeation of knowledge.
Industry reaction: the localization of Japan-Vietnam agricultural cooperation
In Vietnam's agricultural world, many voices rate this local-government cooperation as a break from sole reliance on JICA. JICA's large projects are effective but slow to decide and tended to be macroscopic in theme. Direct local-government cooperation makes it easier to focus on concrete technology and talent exchange.
For example, plant-factory know-how is held by local governments such as Chiba, Fukuoka, Shimane, and Oita with their own support schemes, and if the Vietnamese side teams up directly with these, the speed of technology introduction rises. Vietnam's precision agriculture: 4,000 drones in operation、Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge and an accelerated inflow of technology and capital linked to these can be expected.
The benefit for Osaka Prefecture: international expansion of the Kansai economic zone
For Osaka Prefecture too, direct cooperation with Hanoi carries large strategic significance. The Kansai economic zone has its own international expansion strategy against Tokyo's over-concentration and is strengthening ties with Taiwan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Hanoi = an emerging Asia-Pacific innovation hub Concluding a cooperation agreement early with it is directly tied to supporting Kansai companies' entry into Vietnam.
For small and medium enterprises within Osaka Prefecture (especially in food processing, agricultural machinery, and biotech), the hurdle to entering Hanoi lowers too. With prefecture-level backing they can receive support such as introductions to local partners, help with regulatory compliance, and talent exchange.
Ripple to the industry: structural change in Japan-Vietnam relations
This move suggests a structural change in Japan-Vietnam relations as a whole. On top of central-government-based large ODA and cooperation agreements, it is a shift to a matrix-type relationship in which multi-layered cooperation among local governments, universities, and private companies runs in parallel. This also resembles Korea-Vietnam relations (led by the cities of Seoul and Busan).
Even limited to agriculture, a Vietnam rollout drawing on regional strengths can be drawn: Hokkaido (rice and dairy), Kyushu (livestock and protected horticulture), Tohoku (apples and fruit trees), and more. Dong Thap province's footprint-free paddies If circular-agriculture practice sites like this team up with Japanese local governments, they could jointly build a world model for SDG attainment.
Practical information: the cooperation status of Japanese local governments
| Japanese side | Status of Vietnam cooperation |
|---|---|
| Osaka Prefecture | In comprehensive talks with Hanoi (29 April meeting) |
| Fukuoka Prefecture | Food-processing cooperation with Hanoi and HCMC |
| Hokkaido | Technical exchange in rice farming and dairy |
| Shimane Prefecture | Cooperation in organic agriculture and regional brands |
| Shizuoka Prefecture | Talent exchange in tea and fruit trees |
| Tokyo Metropolis | Startup cooperation via SusHi Tech Tokyo |
Conclusion: an era of Japan-Vietnam agriculture in which the regions move
The direct Hanoi-Osaka cooperation is a turning point at which Japan-Vietnam agricultural cooperation shifts from a central-government base to a multi-layered cooperation model. Hanoi absorbs the knowledge of the Osaka Innovation Hub, and the Kansai economic zone's expansion into Vietnam accelerates—these two-way benefits will take concrete shape over the next five to ten years. As Japan's other local governments (Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Shimane, Shizuoka, and others) likewise strengthen such direct cooperation, the geographic and technical footprint of Japan-Vietnam agriculture will expand greatly. HCM Green Innovation Accelerator This deserves watching as a full-scale advance in Vietnam's innovation strategy, alongside it.
