From Partnership to Co-Creation: Vietnam and Japan Advance a New Digital Agenda

The Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is entering a new phase, one increasingly defined by execution, technological depth, and shared structural priorities. This transition has become visible through a series of high-level engagements over the past 18 months. Following the elevation of bilateral ties in 2023, successive leadership visits and agreements in 2025–2026 have placed digital transformation, innovation, and high-quality human resources at the center of cooperation.

This clear shift was reflected during Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s official visit to Vietnam in April 2025, followed by the momentum in May 2026 with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae visiting Hanoi and overseeing the signing of six cooperation agreements spanning digital transformation, information technology, green growth, and space data collaboration.

This evolution is driven not only by policy ambition, but by structural necessity. Japan is undergoing one of the most significant demographic transformations among advanced economies, with nearly 29% of its population aged 65 or older and a projected shortage of up to 11 million workers by 2040. At the same time, more than half of Japanese companies report labor shortages, placing immediate pressure on productivity and growth.

These challenges are compounded by deep reliance on legacy IT systems, particularly in sectors such as finance - where decades-old mainframe and COBOL-based infrastructure continue to underpin core operations while limiting the pace of digital transformation.

FPT Corporation and SCSK Group launched joint venture COBOL PARK to accelerate the modernisation of IT systems in Japanese businesses

In parallel, Vietnam is emerging as a complementary partner, combining a rapidly expanding digital talent base, cost-effective engineering capacity, and growing technological capabilities. Increasing cooperation in education and digital workforce development reflects this alignment, positioning human capital as a cornerstone of the partnership.

Japan’s structural pressures are most visible in the country’s approach to artificial intelligence. Adoption is accelerating, but in a controlled and pragmatic manner. Around 50% of financial institutions are already using AI, rising to over 70% when pilot programs are included, and to more than 90% when planned adoption is considered.

At the same time, nearly 60% of organizations remain in the early stages, reflecting a cautious approach shaped by strict requirements around reliability, security, and governance. This combination of urgency and discipline is creating a unique market environment in which AI must deliver measurable business outcomes within complex, risk-sensitive systems - an environment in which partners such as FPT are increasingly engaged to bridge advanced technologies with enterprise-scale execution. As a result, Japan is increasingly functioning as a proving ground for enterprise-scale AI deployment under real-world constraints.

FPT: From Delivery Partner to Strategic Enabler

Within this evolving landscape, FPT’s trajectory in Japan mirrors the broader transformation of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership itself. Initially established as a software outsourcing provider over two decades ago, the Corporation has progressively moved up the value chain  - toward consulting, co-creation, and large-scale transformation programs.

FPT Japanese subsidiary’s 20th anniversary occurred in Tokyo, gathering FPT executives, employees, and distinguished representatives from Japanese businesses

The establishment of FPT Consulting Japan, supported by targeted investments in local capabilities, marked a turning point, enabling deeper engagement in strategy design and end-to-end transformation initiatives. This shift from execution to consulting reflects a broader repositioning of Vietnamese enterprises within global value chains, as Nguyen Huu Long, CEO of FPT Consulting Japan, FPT Corporation emphasized: “The real transformation is not just moving up the value chain, but redefining how Vietnamese companies participate in it  - from implementation to shaping strategy and long-term business outcomes”.

This perspective underscores a broader ambition: positioning Vietnamese expertise not merely as execution capacity, but as a driver of transformation in mature markets.

Delivering Measurable Impact in One of the World’s Most Demanding Markets

Japan’s enterprise environment remains one of the most complex globally, where modernization must balance innovation with stability, compliance, and continuity. Within this context, FPT’s role is increasingly defined by its ability to deliver tangible outcomes at scale.

In this setting, artificial intelligence is not simply an innovation layer but a practical tool for solving real business challenges. In one recent program, FPT applied AI-driven approaches to reduce project definition time by six months and lower total costs by approximately 30%, illustrating how technology can deliver tangible value in large-scale transformation initiatives.

FPT’s AI Factories, powered by the latest NVIDIA HGX B300, H200, and H100, cover the full range of AI workloads from training to deployment

To support this demand, FPT has invested heavily in foundational infrastructure aligned with Japan’s priorities. Its AI Factories in Japan and Vietnam - ranked among the world’s top supercomputing systems - provide large-scale computing capacity for enterprise AI deployment. The Japan-based facility, powered by advanced NVIDIA GPUs, enables businesses to accelerate AI adoption while addressing infrastructure bottlenecks - an increasingly critical constraint in the market.

Expanding Strategic Footprint: AI, Semiconductors, and Industry Partnerships

Beyond AI, FPT is expanding into strategic domains that align closely with Vietnam–Japan cooperation priorities.

• In semiconductors, the Corporation has delivered its first commercial “Make in Vietnam” chip shipment to Japan - marking a step toward participation in higher-value segments of the global technology supply chain.
• In industrial transformation, partnerships with major Japanese enterprises - from automotive and manufacturing to finance and energy - are deepening, with increasing discussion of joint ventures and long-term collaboration models.
• In talent development, FPT continues to invest in Japanese-language training and ICT workforce development, supporting one of the most critical bottlenecks in Japan’s digital transformation journey.

In April 2026, FPT in Japan organized the “Big Day One” onboarding event, welcoming over 130 new employees from 12 nationalities

Today, FPT continues to grow its presence across the Japanese market, serving more than 450 global clients and supported by a workforce of nearly 18,000 engineers dedicated to Japanese enterprises. Increasingly, these engagements reflect embedded partnership models, where FPT contributes not only technology, but also innovation capacity, operational integration, and long-term capability building.

For example, FPT has been selected by a leading Japanese automotive manufacturer as a strategic AI partner, with collaboration expanding toward deeper, long-term models. Across financial services, partnerships with top-tier institutions are evolving from system implementation to enterprise-wide transformation. The Corporation has also delivered AI solutions for a major electricity provider, improving operational efficiency in a highly regulated environment. More broadly, across aviation, manufacturing, and large-scale technology programs, FPT is increasingly embedded in complex transformation initiatives - demonstrating its ability to deliver at scale in one of the world’s most demanding markets.

Looking ahead, this evolution is being reinforced by more ambitious growth targets in Japan, including accelerating double-digit expansion and increasing participation in large-scale transformation programs valued from 50 to 100 million USD.

A Shared Future of Co-Creation

A clear pattern is emerging across the Vietnam–Japan partnership: a transition from cooperation to co-creation. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and green transformation are becoming shared domains of development, rather than one-way flows of technology or capital. In this context, FPT is playing a catalytic role - translating strategic alignment into real-world outcomes.

As FPT Chairman Dr. Truong Gia Binh emphasized, “The next chapter of this partnership will be defined not by what we exchange, but by what we can build together - through technology, talent, and trust”. Japan, as one of FPT’s most strategic markets, plays a central role in realizing this vision - not only as a destination for deployment, but as an environment where solutions are tested, refined, and validated at scale.

Looking ahead, the deepening alignment between national priorities and enterprise-led innovation suggests a more integrated future. FPT’s growing role in Japan reflects a broader reality: Vietnamese companies are no longer just participants in global value chains, but increasingly, co-creators of the industries shaping the future.