The ASEAN-Japan Centre, in collaboration with Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) and Commercial Department of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, organized the trade seminar ‘Potential and Export Issues of Vietnamese Agricultural and Marine Food Products’ on June 21.
The seminar aimed to further encourage understanding of import procedures in Japan among Vietnamese companies. Moreover, product promotion took place through business matching with approximately 90 Japanese participants.
During the first half of the seminar, Mr. Makoto NAKAMURA, Trade Advisor of the Association for the Promotion of Trade and Investment in Japan, delivered a lecture including 1) regulatory information on products, 2) the flow of food imports, and 3) legal regulations on importing and selling food products in Japan. In the second half, business matching between Japanese and Vietnamese companies were organized, featuring processed foods and agricultural products from Vietnam. The venue was bustling with visitors, including drink tastings and some companies exhibiting Vietnamese fruits and foods.
The amount of Vietnam’s imports and exports in the first half of 2023 is estimated at USD 164.45 billion, which is 87.9%, compared to the same period in 2022
Japan is also the Fifth-largest product export market for Vietnam, reaching USD 11 billion in the first half of this year, indicating a return to 96.7% year-on-year levels.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), which took effect in 2023, can be a new driving force in the development of bilateral trade relations between Vietnam and Japan
For Vietnamese enterprises, it will further strengthen their ability to export to the Japanese market with the incentives and benefits from the agreement.
Make use of network
Although Japan has laws and regulations, such as the Food Sanitation Law, the Positive List for Containers and Packaging, and the Food Labelling Law, there are also some focal points that can provide dedicated assistance, such as the consultation service of the Food Monitoring Section of the Tokyo Quarantine Station. Therefore, for Vietnamese corporations, it is important to make use of these inquiry windows, entities and network with companies that already have experience in exporting products.
