Japan and Vietnam agreed to boost cooperation on critical minerals after summit talks in Tokyo on Monday, November 9, 2026, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi describing economic security as a top priority in the bilateral relationship.
Source: Jiji Press via Qazinform
Takaichi met To Lam — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam, who was on an official visit to Japan — for about 50 minutes at the State Guest House in Tokyo's Motoakasaka district, in a 15-minute small-group meeting and a 35-minute large-group meeting, followed by a document exchange ceremony, a joint press announcement and a dinner, the Prime Minister's Office of Japan said. The two leaders issued a "Japan-Viet Nam Joint Vision Statement."
Source: Prime Minister's Office of Japan
Rare earths at the centre
On critical minerals, the two countries agreed to consider concrete cooperation projects to strengthen their supply chains and to speed up public-private work, Jiji Press reported. Tokyo's official summary said the leaders confirmed promoting concrete cooperation, including through collaboration under initiatives such as RISE+, particularly regarding rare-earth metals, towards supply chain resilience. Vietnam is believed to hold large reserves of critical minerals, and the meeting came as Japan seeks closer ties with Vietnam amid political and economic pressure from China, including restrictions on rare-earth exports to Japan.
The Tokyo push follows Beijing's decision to extend its suspension of some rare-earth export controls only until January 2027, keeping pressure on buyers who depend on Chinese supply. Read: China extends rare-earth controls suspension to January 2027
Energy, AI and a first security-assistance step
The joint statement cited an increasingly complex geopolitical environment and pledged deeper cooperation on defence, economic security and investment. The leaders affirmed the importance of speeding up liquefied natural gas and gas-fired power projects backed by Japanese investment for Vietnam's surging electricity demand, agreed to advance cooperation on introducing nuclear power to Vietnam, and confirmed close coordination on Vietnam's national energy reserve under the POWERR Asia partnership. In May, the countries had agreed to make Vietnam's Nghi Son refinery and petrochemical complex the first project under a Tokyo-led financing framework for stable energy supplies.
The two sides also agreed to step up collaboration in artificial intelligence and semiconductors, welcomed progress on AI joint research, human resources and AI safety, and concurred on aiming for the early first provision of equipment and supplies for UN peacekeeping operations under Japan's Official Security Assistance framework — the first of its kind for Vietnam. They exchanged views on the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula, and said they would work together under the CPTPP trade pact, which Vietnam chairs this year, and for the success of the 2027 APEC summit chaired by Vietnam.
Rare earths and other critical minerals feed electric vehicles, wind turbines, semiconductors and defence systems. China's dominance of rare-earth processing — and its use of export controls — has pushed Japan and other manufacturers to build alternative supply chains with partners such as Vietnam, Australia and India.
What happens next: officials are to turn the summit pledges into named projects — the test will be whether concrete rare-earth and mineral ventures, with Japanese financing and processing technology, are announced in the coming months, and whether the LNG, gas-power and nuclear cooperation moves from statements into contracts as Vietnam's power demand keeps climbing.