More than 60 delegates, including representatives of local government, some trade organisations and several big companies attended the event.

The participants adopted a charter, an action programme and a budget for 2009 and elected Kise Teraosu, general director of the TOTO Company as president of the association and Vietnam’s Consul General to Japan, Vu Huy Mung, as honourary consult.

The association was founded with the principal purpose of promoting economic and technological cooperation and cultural exchanges between Kitakyushu city and Vietnam. The association currently has 44 official members.

It will annually organise a seminar on Vietnam’s economics and politics, send delegations to Vietnam to study the market and investment environment, support the Vietnamese overseas community in Japan and promote cultural exchanges.

Kitakyushu is the second largest city in Fukuoka province and a big Japanese industrial centre famous for refining steel, shipbuilding and environmental technology.