On the occasion of Japanese National Day on December 23,
Viet Nam News speaks with Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yasuaki Tanizaki.
Could you share with our
readers how Japan has handled the consequences that resulted from the tsunami
and earthquake which hit Japan in March? How have reconstruction activities
progressed in the disaster-hit area?
Ambassador Yasuaki Tanizaki
Eight months have passed since the earthquake and the tsunami. The damage was
enormous. Thousands of people were killed and left missing. The economic damage
was also enormous, amounting to about US$200 billion. Immediately after the
earthquake, about 450,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Lifelines, such as electricity,
gas, water supply, have been almost one hundred per cent restored. The traffic
infrastructure, such as highways and the shinkansen (bullet train), have been
completely returned to normal operations.
We're now struggling to rebuild
communities where the evacuees can live safely in the event of new natural
disasters. The government is supporting the reconstruction of such strong
communities.
During Prime Minister Nguyen
Tan Dung's visit to Japan in September, the two sides agreed to double two-way
trade turnover by 2020, which reached US$16.7 billion last year. What more do
you think should be done to reach the target?
I'm very optimistic about the
target because during the last 10 years, bilateral trade between our two
countries has increased tremendously, by about 3.4 times from $4.9 billion to
$16.7 billion between 2000-10.
Many favourable conditions were
created during this period. In 2007, Vietnam joined the World Trade
Organisation.
In 2008, the Japan-Asean
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was entered into force. In 2009,
the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement came into effect.
Those arrangements have been
providing and will continue to provide very favourable conditions to increase
overall trade. Coupled with government arrangements and efforts by the business
communities from both countries, we're very optimistic about the target.
The Japanese business community
is very much interested in increasing the import of Vietnamese products to
Japanese markets and vice versa. Many Japanese investors are working here and
they require imports such as spare parts in order to assemble their products
here in Vietnam.
Japan committed $1.9 billion in
Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds for Vietnam in 2012. Can you share
with us why the commitment is higher than last year and how do you assess the
implementation of Japan's ODA-funded projects in Vietnam?
In the last Consultative Group
meeting, I announced the Japanese government's decision to provide at least
$1.9 billion in ODA for this fiscal year. That's an increase compared to the
previous year. We're going to finance very important projects such as: Hoa Lac
High-tech Park, Lach Huyen Deep Sea Port, an important port near Hai Phong
Highway and other important economic infrastructure will also be funded by
Japanese ODA.
Concerning the implementation
of Japan's ODA-funded projects, although there are some problems, in general we
think that the Vietnamese government has been using the funds very efficiently
and effectively.
The large commitment is the
result of our existing strategic partnership. Vietnamese people require huge
investment to construct their socio-economic infrastructure. We, as a partner,
are ready to support Vietnam's nation-building.
Secondly, the stability of
Vietnam is very important, not only to the country itself but also to this
region. And this region is particularly crucial to Japan's national interest as
well. Besides, the implementation of ODA-funded projects by the Vietnamese
government was very successful. Compared with other countries, Vietnam has
fewer problems in using ODA.
Economic infrastructure
projects require relocating residents who live near project sites. It takes
time to persuade them peacefully which consequently affects the schedule of
ODA-funded projects. But we understand that it's necessary to take time.
The reimbursement of $1.9
billion will take two or three years to be completed. It depends on the
progress of the construction.
The two governments signed a
number of agreements on major construction projects for the Ninh Thuan 2
nuclear power plant. Could you share your country's experience in building and
maintaining nuclear power plants? What lessons could be learned from the crisis
at the Fukushima nuclear power plant?
Because of the earthquake and
the tsunami, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was damaged. We have learned and
are now learning many lessons from that tragic incident. We have already
reported what took place in that nuclear power plant to the International
Atomic Energy Agency. That lesson must be shared by other countries, particular
by Vietnam.
The tsunami damaged the cooling
system. This Fukushima power plant was constructed about 40 years ago and
judging from the technology today, it's very inadequate. And we didn't expect
such high tsunami. We expected any tsunami to be about 10 metres, but it was
about 30 metres.
We already organised one
seminar to explain our experiences to those with concerns, including the
representatives of Ninh Thuan Province. Based on those lessons, the Japanese
government is ready to provide more secure technology in order to construct the
Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power plant. I can say that the safest technology will be
used to construct the Ninh Thuan power plant.
Vietnam and Japan have kicked
off the fourth phase of their joint initiative on improving the business
environment. How has it progressed and what more do you think should be done to
improve the business environment in Vietnam?
With its abundant workforce and skilled
workers, Vietnam is a very attractive market for potential Japanese investors.
But when we look at the situation more precisely, there are problems which must
be improved by the government.
These include the unstable
supply of electricity. In addition, it's extremely difficult to recruit workers
in areas near major cities, such as Hai Phong, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Many Japanese investors have
also been affected by the slow government approval procedure for their
investment projects. It takes such a long time. Nowadays, businesses require
quick government decisions.
In terms of the joint
initiative on improving the business environment, we have also presented our
list of requests to the government which include what actions must be done to
improve the business environment.
Editorial Desk
Viet Nam News
Business & Investment Opportunities
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