Uzbekistan-Japan: Exploring Bilateral Cooperation Prospects

From August 15-18 this year, a delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, visited Tokyo and Osaka, where they held several meetings and negotiations.

In particular, negotiations were held with the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as with representatives of such prominent companies as Sojitz Corporation, Washin Trading, Le One Co. Ltd., Daido Industries, OMETA, ITO Corporation, Okamoto Corporation, and Masui, The Caspian Post reports citing Uzbek media.

At the meeting with the Head of METI, Masaki Ogushi, the issue of establishing cooperation within the framework of the joint project lending mechanism was considered to expand bilateral trade-economic cooperation, stimulate mutual investments, introduce energy-saving technologies, and support low-carbon initiatives. Issues of increasing the range of agricultural products, speeding up the process of obtaining phytosanitary permits for Uzbekistan sweet cherries, partnerships in the energy, mining, processing, and supply of strategic metals were also discussed.

An agreement was reached with JBIC management to accelerate ongoing projects, launch financing for new initiatives, and provide broader support to the private sector.

The prospects for cooperation in energy, healthcare, agriculture, light industry, infrastructure creation, textile industry development, and the introduction of smart farming technologies were analyzed during the negotiations with representatives of reputable companies. In particular, following talks with Sojitz Corporation, a new roadmap was signed covering the fields of energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and other areas.

The Uzbekistan delegation also took part in official events devoted to the National Day of Uzbekistan, which were organized within the framework of the EXPO 2025, in Osaka.

This visit confirms the high level of strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Japan, as well as opens up new prospects for deepening investment cooperation.