Japan Desk launched to help investors in Hanoi

HANOI, April 21 (VNA) - The Investment Promotion Centre under the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment and Forval Vietnam recently launched the Japan Desk to assist Japanese investors in the city. The desk will focus on eight main activities, such as providing information on the investment environment in Hanoi , introducing partners for investment and solving the difficulties faced by Japanese firms in the city. Talking with Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep (Enterprise Forum) newspaper, Masahiro Ariga, chairman of Forval Vietnam , said that small- and medium-sized enterprises in Japan are tending to make investments abroad, including Vietnam . "Only Vietnamese agencies such as the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment can provide useful information on Vietnam and the contact points for Japanese firms. “I think this is very necessary for the investors in Vietnam . Therefore, I do not think that the Japan Desk has come into operation late. I think it is essential to assist Japanese enterprises for a long time," he said. Japan is the biggest of 101 countries and territories that have invested in Vietnam as of last month with cumulative investment of 35.4 billion USD in more than 2,230 projects, according to the Foreign Investment Agency. The average capital of Japanese projects is also the highest at 15.8 million USD. While Japanese investors have a presence in most sectors, manufacturing and processing account for a lion's share of their investments at nearly 30 billion USD. It is followed by property at $1.4 billion and construction at 1.05 billion USD. Central Thanh Hoa province topped investment destinations with total capital of 9.67 billion USD, followed by southern Binh Duong with 4.18 billion, and Hanoi with 3.86 billion.-VNA