Talking to the Viet Nam News Agency about the performance of Viet Nam's 15th NA (the 2021–2026 tenure), Nishizawa said that although the legislature faced numerous disruptions in the post-pandemic period, it demonstrated strong determination in the latter half of its term by pursuing institutional reforms and improving administrative efficiency.
Many media outlets and observers of Viet Nam, he added, have offered positive evaluations, describing the legislature as having “advanced the modernisation of state governance”.
Regarding the decision to hold the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People's Councils at all levels for 2026–2031 about two months earlier than usual, the professor said the move will facilitate the implementation of Viet Nam’s 2026 socio-economic development plan, which targets economic growth of over 10%. Moreover, for Viet Nam – a country pursuing a multipolar diplomatic strategy, the earlier election is also necessary to respond to an increasingly uncertain international environment.
On the prospects for enhanced parliamentary cooperation between Viet Nam and Japan in the coming years, Nishizawa recalled that last August, a delegation of members of Japan’s House of Representatives, led by Yuko Obuchi, Chairperson of the Japan – Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, visited the Southeast Asian nation.
The delegation’s trip included courtesy calls on Party General Secretary To Lam and NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, meetings with head of the Viet Nam – Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Le Minh Hung, and exchanges with representatives from five Mekong Delta localities at the Can Tho investment promotion seminar.
Parliamentary cooperation, Nishizawa said, constitutes a meaningful component of the broader bilateral relationship between the two countries. To promote this, both sides should identify priority areas of shared interest and focus dialogue on those fields.
More broadly, expanding people-to-people exchanges will help reinforce Viet Nam’s image as a dynamic, peaceful, and mutually respectful nation, he went on.
He added that the experience of Viet Nam – Japan parliamentary cooperation could also be applied more widely to parliamentary diplomacy in general, stressing the importance of building mutual trust, maintaining patience in dialogue, and increasing the frequency of exchanges.
