Agriculture, IT promise success to Vietnamese firms in Japan    Illustrative image (Source: ​KT) Hanoi - Vietnamese businesses should consider investing in agriculture and information technology (IT) in Japan, Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Hanoi Atsusuke Kawada has suggested. He explained in an interview granted to Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade newspaper) that Japan is now thirsty for investors in the farming sector due to labour shortage, and has a great demand for IT, which is also strength of many Vietnamese enterprises. Kawada cited FPT, a Vietnamese IT firm that is running successfully in Japan to clarify his views, adding that this is one of the 35 Vietnamese projects in the country with a total registered capital of 7 million USD. However, he reminded the Vietnamese businesses which are interested in investing in Japan about the rising Japanese yen. He noted that his country’s rapidly aging population is leading to employment scarcity and high labour cost. Given this, Kawada suggested the enterprises employ Vietnamese engineers fluent in Japanese in order to cut labour cost. These firms can use offices provided by JETRO free of charge for two months, he said, noting that the organisation will also give them advice about tax, labor and legal procedures. The Chief Representative mentioned the first-ever conference on trade promotion recently held by JETRO in conjunction with the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi, aiming to introduce Japan’s investment climate to Vietnamese businesses. The event demonstrates the Japanese Government’s wish to attract foreign investments, especially those from Vietnam, he said. Through the conference, the Japanese side hopes that the Vietnamese enterprises which intended to do business in the country will learn more about investment opportunities there, he noted.-VNA