Vietnam Labor Day in Japan opens up expectations for human resource cooperation between the two countries

The event is an opportunity to honor exemplary workers; connect businesses and workers, and promote increasingly deep human resource cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

On November 30, in Tokyo, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan coordinated with the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs to solemnly organize the Vietnamese Labor Day in Japan in 2025.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu delivered the opening speech at the event.

The event was attended by representatives of Japanese ministries and branches, receiving enterprises, labor management organizations, unions and a large number of outstanding Vietnamese workers living, studying and working in Japan.

Vietnamese Minister of Home Affairs Do Thanh Binh sent a congratulatory letter on "Vietnam Labor Day in Japan 2025" and highly appreciated Vietnamese workers with their diligence, creativity, and high discipline, which are trusted by Japanese businesses and society.

On the basis of good bilateral relations, the Minister believes that the two countries will continue to expand labor cooperation, creating more opportunities for Vietnamese workers to study and practice in an advanced working environment, contributing to forming high-quality human resources for the country in the new development stage.

In his opening speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu emphasized: “Vietnam Labor Day in Japan was initiated by the Prime Minister of Vietnam and is held consecutively in Japan to recognize and honor the great efforts of the Vietnamese labor community working here.

The Ambassador affirmed that the majority of Vietnamese workers are hard-working, strictly comply with Japanese laws and regulations, and actively contribute to Japan's socio -economic development and the Vietnam-Japan friendship.

Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu said there are currently more than 450,000 Vietnamese workers living and working in Japan with various residency statuses such as trainees, specific skills, engineers, and technicians.

In particular, according to statistics from the Japanese Immigration Department, Vietnamese workers account for more than 70% of the total number of specific skilled workers No. 2 in Japan, affirming their leading role in terms of qualifications and skills in the foreign labor community.

The Ambassador emphasized that the theme of this year's Labor Day is "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", expressing the desire for Vietnamese workers to understand and strictly comply with Japanese laws and customs, thereby building a responsible and sustainable integrated working community.

The Ambassador called on Vietnamese workers to continuously study to improve their Japanese language proficiency, skills, and sense of discipline; at the same time, he asked receiving businesses and unions to strengthen guidance and supervision to prevent violations of the law.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu and 17 companies receiving Vietnamese workers were awarded Letters of Commendation and took a souvenir photo.

In his congratulatory letter, Japanese Deputy Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Nagasaka Yasumasa emphasized that cooperation in training and receiving Vietnamese human resources is an "extremely potential and unlimited" field.

By the end of June, Japan had accepted about 200,000 Vietnamese technical interns and 150,000 specified skilled workers, making Vietnam the largest sending country. Many workers, after returning home, have effectively utilized the knowledge and skills they have accumulated in Japan.

Deputy Minister Nagasaka said that the Law on Employment Training for Skills Development has been enacted, under which the Employment Program for Skills Development will replace the current Technical Intern Training Program from April 1, 2027, aiming to ensure the rights of workers and meet Japan's long-term human resource needs. The Government also coordinated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to build a job search platform for foreigners, creating more transparent recruitment channels for Vietnamese workers.

Japanese Deputy Minister of Justice Mitani Hidehiro also sent a letter of congratulations on Vietnam's Labor Day to Japan, affirming that Vietnam is one of Japan's most important partners, especially after the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

By the end of June 2025, Japan will have about 660,000 Vietnamese people living, studying and working, including 200,000 technical interns and 150,000 specific skilled workers, the largest among other countries.

According to Deputy Minister Mitani, in the five years from 2024, Japan plans to accept 820,000 foreign workers under the Specified Skills Program in 16 fields, while by mid-year it has only reached about 340,000 people. This shows that the demand for foreign workers, including Vietnamese workers, will continue to increase.

The representative of the receiving company, Director of Corps Company, Mr. Kato Ryo, said that the company was established in 1974 and currently has more than 6,400 employees. The company started accepting Vietnamese interns in 2019 and has accepted 708 people so far.

The company currently has more than 400 foreign employees, all of whom are Vietnamese, working at the Villa Fonten hotel chain of the Sumitomo Fudosan Group. The company maintains many activities to support interns, organizes family visits, rewards those who complete the program well, and arranges excellent employees for core positions.

Mr. Kato Ryo highly appreciated Vietnamese workers for their hard-working and dedicated attitude. He added that the company is making efforts to continue recruiting more workers from Vietnam.

Representative of the typical worker, Ms. Tran Thi Kim Xuyen from Sanshin Kogyo company shared that after 5 years working in Japan, she won the Japanese Speech Contest and passed the National Vocational Skills Exam Level 2.

She appreciates the support of businesses, unions, teachers and family during the integration process. In the future, she aims to continue improving her skills and supporting new workers.

Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu, representative of the Japanese Ministry of Justice and representative of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, together with 26 outstanding Vietnamese workers and trainees took a souvenir photo.

Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Economic Forum (JVEF), Mr. Inokuchi Takeo, said that since 2019, the forum has focused on skills training, improving Japanese language proficiency and supporting long-term career orientation for Vietnamese workers. From 2022 to now, more than 200 trainees have been able to study Japanese for free, of which about 60% have reached N4 level or higher.

Within the framework of the event, Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu awarded Letters of Merit to 26 outstanding workers and interns, 17 receiving companies and 6 management unions.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ngay-lao-dong-viet-nam-tai-nhat-ban-mo-ra-ky-vong-hop-tac-nhan-luc-giua-hai-nuoc-336185.html