Dong Nai (VNA) – Japan has affirmed its position as one of the twolargest investors in the southern province of Dong Nai by landing furtherinvestments in the locality from the outset of this year.

Most of the capital came to the support industry, a field that the province iscalling for investment to enhance input material supply capacity for localenterprises and lessen dependence on imports.

Mai Van Nhon, deputy head of the Dong Nai industrial zone management board,said Dong Nai has been an attractive destination for Japanese investors inrecent three years, adding that most of the investments are in supportindustry, electricity, electronics, mechanics and machines.

From the beginning of this year, the province has constantly welcomed Japanesebusinesses studying and seeking investment opportunities.

Representatives from 22 enterprises in Japan’s Sakai city came to Dong Naiprovince this month to study investment opportunities. They made a fact-findingtour of local industrial parks like Amata and Long Duc.

Meanwhile, Kobelco Eco-Solutions Col., Ltd under the Kobe Steel Group proposed investingin the province’s clean water treatment. The company already jumped in investmentin waste water treatment at Loteco and Long Duc industrial parks.

Experts said that Vietnam’s engagement in new generation free trade deals hasbrought numerous opportunities to enterprises operating in Vietnam, includingthose from Japan.

Dong Nai province has seen robust growth of exports to Japan since the Vietnam-Japanfree trade agreement took effect. Last year, the locality shipped over 1.5billion USD worth of products to Japan, up 11 percent year-on-year and Japanwas the second largest export market of the province.

In recent years, local businesses have paid much attention to orders from theJapanese market to enjoy tax preferences.

A representative from Mabuchi Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd said that thanks topreferential policies, the company’s products become more competitive in the Japanesemarket and this makes production hike 13 percent each year. The company willenlarge their material production to reduce imports and meet demand from itspartners.

According to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, the provincegranted investment certificate to 31 foreign direct investment projects worth314 million USD in the first three months of this year.

The province is currently home to 32 industrial parks. To date 44 countries andterritories have invested in the province with over 1,200 investment projects.-VNA