OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE AFFAIRS
The Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan (AVIJ) has pursued its mission to make full use of Vietnamese strengths, improving the role of the Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan and contributing to Vietnam’s development and Vietnam-Japan relations.
Since its establishment in 2019, the association is designated to create a common information channel to connect Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan, build innovation centers to exchange science-technology between Vietnam and Japan, and encourage Vietnamese scientists in Japan to engage in innovation programs in Vietnam.
The AVIJ has offered opportunities for individuals and groups to use collective strengths to make things happen.
Vietnamese international students studying at Aomori University. Photo: VNA
Statistics by Japan’s Ministry of Justice showed that there were more than 476,000 Vietnamese people living in Japan as of June 2022, the biggest foreigner community in Japan behind the Chinese. The Vietnamese community there increased 10 times over the last 10 years, attributed to the increasing number of Vietnamese people coming to Japan for work, study, research, and family reunification.
According to the Japan Ministry of Justice, half of the Vietnamese community in Japan are intellectuals with the rising number working in universities, institutes, and businesses in the recent years.
Their contributions are recognized in information technology, robotics, electronics-microchips, agriculture, health, economics, law, society, and humanities, among others.
There are also other independent organizations of Vietnamese people, including the Vietnamese Academic Network in Japan (VANJ), the Vietnamese Professionals in Japan (VPJ), and the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in Japan (VYSA).
Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu highly appreciated the role of the Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan, mostly AVIJ which has successfully organized a series of events attracting the large number of intellectuals and business executives. The typical events include the Vietnam Summit 2019, 2021, 2023, and scientific conferences held by VANJ, VJSE.
One of the outstanding events is the biennial Vietnam Summit in Japan starting in 2019, a forum for Vietnamese intellectuals in the East Asian country sharing and discussing things for Vietnam’s development.
The Vietnam Summit in Japan 2023 drew more than 60 speakers and over 1,700 participants.
Minh Nguyen