News On Japan

Japan to invest $20 bil. in clean energy projects in Vietnam

Mar 06, 2025 (News On Japan) - Japan has agreed to invest up to 20 billion dollars in low-carbon energy projects in Vietnam. This comes amid a regional push to reach carbon neutrality in the coming decades.

The countries held a meeting in Hanoi on Wednesday. They decided Japan would help fund 14 projects, including wind power plants. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation and private companies will lead the investments.

Power shortages are common in Vietnam, particularly in the north. There are growing concerns this is hindering foreign investment in the country.

"We will create significant opportunities for cooperation in economy, trade and investment between businesses in our two countries," said Vietnamese Industry and Trade Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long.

"Japan wants to provide maximum support so Japanese firms can take advantage of these opportunities and participate in Vietnam's decarbonization market," said Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki.

Vietnam aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It was also one of the countries--along with Japan--to adopt measures to accelerate decarbonization efforts at last year's Asia Zero Emission Community meeting.

But pursuing this goal while also expanding its power supply is a major challenge.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Dangerous heat is expected across a wide area from western to eastern Japan today, prompting authorities to issue heatstroke warning alerts for 17 prefectures, the highest number so far this year.

Japan has become an unexpected base of operations for Russian intelligence agents since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with spies allegedly using the country to procure and smuggle high-tech equipment and other goods to Russia, The New York Times reported on July 12.

Convenience store operators in Japan are strengthening safety measures as bear-related damage grows more serious, with Lawson expanding the use of bear repellent spray and considering drone-based remote monitoring.

Osaka’s Minami district, now entering another period of major change with the planned opening of the Naniwasuji Line, the redevelopment of Midosuji and improvements around Nankai Namba Station, has transformed from an area once described as "scary" and "dirty" into one of Japan’s leading tourist destinations.

A 10-ton hoko float was pulled through central Kyoto on July 12 in a trial run ahead of the Yamahoko Junko procession during the Gion Festival's early parade.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group became Japan's most valuable company for the first time on the Tokyo stock market on July 13, overtaking Toyota Motor as expectations grow that higher interest rates will lift bank earnings.

A debate over whether shorts belong in the workplace is spreading in Japan after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike encouraged metropolitan government employees to wear cooler clothing, including shorts, as part of efforts to cope with intensifying summer heat.

A 65-year-old man who spent 40 years working for a company was shocked to learn that his pension would amount to 168,000 yen a month, raising fresh concern over whether retirees in Japan can live on public pension payments alone.

Small supermarkets offering lower prices than convenience stores and closer access than full-size supermarkets are expanding rapidly across the Tokyo metropolitan area, as retailers race to meet demand from older consumers, single-person households and shoppers under pressure from rising prices.

A welfare facility in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, has begun preparations to sell about 220 giant stag beetles, one of Japan’s largest species, from July 13.

NTT Docomo will begin offering banking services under the new "Docomo Bank" brand in August, with plans to build a network of more than 1,500 locations by fiscal 2030, far exceeding the branch networks of Japan's major banks.

Japanese stocks rose for a second straight session on Friday, July 10, with the Nikkei Stock Average climbing 813.88 points to close at 68,557.73 after strong gains in U.S. technology and semiconductor stocks fueled renewed buying of AI-related shares.

Japan’s domestic Corporate Goods Price Index, which measures prices charged for goods traded between companies, rose 7.1% from a year earlier to 135.4 in June, the Bank of Japan said on July 10.