Although obtaining such high export growth, Vietnam has yet to make full use of major tariff incentives of the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA), according to the trade office. Besides, Vietnamese exports, especially seafood products, have continuously faced import barriers in Japan.

Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep), said that Japan’s imposition of tougher control measures on Vietnamese shrimps compared to those of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was a major barrier for Vietnam’s shrimp exports to penetrate this market.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has sent a team to Japan to work on this issue. We expect Japan will ease the control on Vietnam’s shrimps so that this product can obtain a higher growth in the Japanese market in the coming time,” Hoe said.

Speaking at a conference on export to Japan held recently, Hiroaki Harushima, a Japanese goods controller, said that to deeper penetrate the Japanese market, Vietnam needed to focus more on goods safety and hygiene requirements.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, in addition to making full use of preferential tariffs, exporters need to collect and analyze information, understand business practices of partners and tastes of consumers. Understanding food hygiene standards and quarantine requirements in Japan will help enterprises ensure the quality of products, avoid having their shipments returned and reduce quarantine durations and costs.