Uzbek-Japanese Business Forum in Tashkent

November 11, 2009

On November 9-11, Tashkent hosted an Uzbek-Japanese Business Forum Uzbekistan-Japan: Economic Dialogue and Perspectives of Partnership, organized by the Centre for Political Studies, the Fund Forum, and the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade. This was the third business forum held in Tashkent with the participation of representatives of Japans governmental and public organizations, research bodies, and businesses. The first Uzbek-Japanese business forum, whose concept was developed by Professor Gulnara Karimova, was organized in Tashkent in November 2006.

On the Japanese side, contributors to the organization of the business forum included the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japanese Association of Trade with Russia and Newly Independent States (ROTOBO). The business forum was attended by representatives of high-level government agencies and business circles: the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and companies such as Itochu Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Sojitz Corporation, Chiyoda Corporation, Tohoku Electric Power, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsui&Co.Ltd., ОMIC and others.

Opening the business forum, Gulnara Karimova, Director of the Centre for Political Studies, noted that Uzbekistan has potential not only as a country endowed with vast natural resources but also as a partner in commodity production with high intellectual resources. Foreign investments play a significant role in Uzbekistans strategy of economic modernization and switching to a higher technological and innovation path.

Special emphasis was laid on the entry into force in September 2009 of the Agreement between Japan and Uzbekistan on Liberalization, Mutual Protection and Encouragement of Investments, which is the first agreement of this kind for Japan in the CIS.

The business forum was aimed at a further deepening of bilateral economic cooperation by means of setting up collaborative production, carrying out bilateral scientific research, drawing Japanese investment into long-term projects in Uzbekistan. The three-day dialogue consisted of sessions that focused on perspectives of economic and investment partnership between Uzbekistan and Japan, cooperation in energy resources and ecology, opportunities of technological and investment cooperation in industrial sectors of interest to both the countries.

The presentations of the representatives of the Uzbek and Japanese sides showed substantial potential of further expansion of bilateral economic interaction based on Uzbekistans high GDP growth rate and effective strategy of economic modernization on one side, and Japans high technologies on the other.

Also, bilateral talks with the heads of a number of Uzbek ministries and agencies were organized for the Japanese delegation as part of the business forum. These discussed directions of further cooperation. Also organized were visits to several industrial objects of Uzbekistan.

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