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15 June, 2007 10:21 PM
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| Newsletter
No. 594
METI MINISTER AMARI IN UZBEKISTAN METI Minister Akira Amari visited Tashkent from the 27th to the 28th, and was expected to sign agreements related to uranium, oil, and gas. We are still waiting for detailed news reports because nothing has been reported so far. If something substantial appears in the coming days, we’ll let you know. Amari is now in the final day of his visit to Kazakhstan, and will then be heading to Saudi Arabia and Brunei. The remainder of this newsletter -- which covers a number of miscellaneous Japan-Uzbek stories from late January to March that were reported in UzReport and Jahon -- has been contributed by Christopher Len (Shingetsu Member No. 82). Len is the Coordinator of the Energy and Cooperation Project of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program at Uppsala University in Sweden.
The following are compiled reports on Japan's commitment to Uzbekistan in the sphere of development and reform between late January and March. The relationship between the two countries is clearly gaining momentum. We note the supportive nature of the Japanese government towards Uzbekistan as reflected in the grant dispensed, the encouragement expressed in the political sphere. Both sides have also made efforts towards a cultural charm offensive aimed at developing greater interest of Uzbekistan among the general Japanese population.
Photo: Japanese Ambassador Yuichi
Kusumoto in Bukhara, March 28, 2007.
On 6 February 2007, the International Business Centre hosted the signing ceremony of six grant contracts provided in the framework of Japanese Grant Assistance for grass-root projects. Grant aid is a form of ODA involving the provision of funds for social development to the governments of developing countries without the obligation of repayment. The aim is to cooperate with economic and social development by helping the government of the recipient country to introduce and upgrade its facilities and equipment. In this instance, the Government of Japan issued the total of US$304,152 to four schools and two public organizations, for technical equipment and organization of professional training for staff. Grant contracts signed with the secondary school No. 41 of the Karshi district of the Kashkadarya region for a total of US$55, 248; secondary school No. 2 of the Kizirik district of the Surkhandarya region for US$57,759; secondary school No. 1 of the Chust district of the Namangan region for US$73,831; and secondary school No. 28 of Ferghana city for US$74,769. Also, contracts signed with the Centre to Support Rural Women in the Kibray district of the Tashkent region for a total of US$20,176, and the Business Women's Association of the Pskent district of the Tashkent region for a total of US$22,369. This contract signing ceremony was the first this year, and all six projects will contribute to meeting the goals and objectives of the State Programme on the declaration of 2007 as "The Year of Social Protection." In 2006, Japan paid special attention to the projects implemented as a part of Uzbekistan's State Programme, "The Year of Charity and Medical Workers." The Japanese government issued some US$1.13 million for 17 projects, consisting of seven projects in the sphere of education, five in the medical sphere, and another five concerning the initiatives of public organizations.
Another grant-contract signing ceremony took place on 13 March at the Embassy of Japan in Tashkent. Grants worth US$341,554 were provided for the delivery of equipment within the framework of the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects for six projects in Uzbekistan. The recipients of the grants were secondary schools of the Surkhandarya and the Kashkadarya regions, medical institutions and a centre for the socio-economic protection of women. According to the contact, City Clinical Hospital No. 1 will receive US$84,934 and Obstetric Complex No. 6 of the Mirzo-Ulugbek district of Tashkent city US$76,289. Also, secondary school No. 3 of the Jarkurgan district will be issued US$45,982, secondary school No. 24 of the Kumkurgan district US$62,175, and secondary school No. 25 of the Karshi district US$56,368. "Begoyim" -- The Ferghana Regional Centre for the Socio-Economic Protection of Women will receive US$15,815 for equipment and modern technology.
It was reported on 2 February 2007 that the Japanese Diet hosted a presentation on political and economic reforms in Uzbekistan dedicated to the 15th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between Uzbekistan and Japan. The presentation paid special attention to the processes of political and democratic reforms, including recent initiative of President Islam Karimov on increasing role of political parties in the modernization and “further democratization” of state management, the Jahon news agency of Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported. Kyoko Nakayama, Special Advisor of Japanese Prime Minister Abe and ex-envoy of Japan to Uzbekistan, said in her speech that Uzbekistan and Japan have frank and friendly relations. She said the relations are developing closely within intensive and regular inter-governmental dialogues, as well as full mutual understanding between the two nations. Tadao Chino, former president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a senior adviser of the scientific-research institute Nomura, agreed with Nakayama and said cooperation between Uzbekistan and Japan has great potential. He expressed hope that Japan and the ADB will help Uzbekistan to improve the investment climate and attract Japanese investments to Uzbek projects. Takeshi Yagi, Deputy Director-General of European Affairs in the Japanese Foreign Ministry, noted the importance of deepening relations with Central Asian states, and said Japan promotes cooperation with regional countries with the Central Asia Plus Japan dialogue. He said that Japan considers Uzbekistan a key country, which can lead interregional cooperation in Central Asia. Tetsuji Tanaka, executive director of the Central Asia and Caucasus Research Institute, said the recent reforms of Uzbek President Islam Karimov on strengthening role of political parties and NGOs are evidence of the democratization of Uzbek society, where reforms are carried out gradually. Tanaka called Japanese business circles to assist the development of the economy of Uzbekistan, and he noted stable growth in the country.
The Japanese Embassy in Uzbekistan officially launched its website on 5 February. The website contains information on the foreign policy of Japan, bilateral relations in politics and economic, consular information, and other useful links. Website: http://www.uz.emb-japan.go.jp/ (In Russian and Japanese only)
It was reported on 16 February 2007 that the Uzbek Embassy and Uzbek students living in Japan participated in the International Festival of Friendship held in Tokyo in early February. Specifically, the representatives of the Tokyo city municipality, public organizations of Japan, and the embassies of several states, including Uzbekistan, participated at the event. The Uzbek Embassy, with the close involvement of the Uzbek students who currently attend the University of Tokyo, Aoyama Gakuin, Hitotsubashi, and others, organized the exposition of Uzbekistan which was reported to be well received. Activities included the introduction of folk art and products of china and ceramics, booklets and pamphlets on historical places of sightseeing and the tourist potential of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The core of the program served as a fashion show of the national clothes accompanied by the smooth sounds of the traditional instrumental music of Uzbekistan. These exhibits attracted the attention of the Japanese. Lessons on studying the Uzbek language were also organized as a part of the event.
It was reported on 21 February that NHK broadcasted a documentary entitled "Uzbekistan -- The Crossroads of Asia," dedicated to the history, culture and modern life of Uzbekistan. It recounted the unique historical monuments of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva cities in Uzbekistan, as well as other sightseeing spots of the country. The documentary included a segment which praised the policy of the Uzbek leadership aiming at building a secular society with a developed market economy. We also learn from the documentary about a young Uzbek scholar teaching at Tsukuba University. Having graduated from one of the institutes in the University of the World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) in Tashkent in 1995, he continued his education at Ritsumeikan University. The scholar in question, Timur Dadabaev, has already published a number of articles and publications in Japan.
It was reported on 1 March 2007 that the Japan Association of Travel Agents recently hosted a meeting between the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Uzbekistan Yuichi Kusumoto and the representatives of Japanese travel agencies on the future prospects of Uzbek-Japanese cooperation in the sphere of tourism. The managers of the leading Japanese travel agencies, representatives of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation of Japan, the diplomatic mission of Uzbekistan to Japan and Uzbekistan Airways participated in the meeting, and have confirmed the importance of organizing tours to the historical sites of the Great Silk Road, which are particularly interesting to Japanese tourists. There was agreement on the need to conduct regular meetings with the representatives of the two countries to develop effective cooperation in the sphere of tourism. The following article available at the Uzbek embassy in Japan website is published in full for the readers as it provides a detailed account of cooperation in the economic sphere between Japan and Uzbekistan. Clearly there is a lot of potential in terms of cooperation between the two countries and both sides can be seen to be committed parties.
Convened early March this year the Japanese-Uzbek Power Forum-2007 brought together qualified specialists and analysts, as well as representatives from government bodies and independent organizations, science and research institutes and analytical centers of Japan at METI and JOGMEC. It was preceded by a Japanese-Uzbek business seminar as a starting event, and a number of presentations with the participation of the country's big-name companies. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI), the Agency for Natural Resources and Power Engineering of Japan, the Japanese National Corporation of Oil, Gas and Metals (JOGMEC) and the Institute of International Scientific Research (IIST), organized the events. The Uzbek side has been represented by the Center for Political Research and Fund Forum (Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan Fund). They have appeared in the role of initiators and concept developers for the first Japanese-Uzbek Power Forum. The information support and assistance has been provided by the Japanese Association for Trade with Russia and New Independent States (ROTOBO), the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Japan. The Power Forum and the business seminar in Tokyo had symbolized the outcome of the Uzbek-Japanese business forum earlier held in Tashkent. The latter's organization was the result of the joint efforts by state and public institutions from Uzbekistan and Japan such as the Center for Political Research, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Fund Forum and METI. With a view of taking part in these large-scale presentation projects held in Tokyo the Power Mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan stayed in Japan for several days. Its members included heads of the State Committee on Geology and Mineral Resources (Chairman Mavlyanov) and the National Holding Company Uzbekneftegaz (First Deputy Chairman Majidov), as well as the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Open Joint-Stock Company Uzbekvneshneftegaz and Joint-Stock Company Uzgeoburneftegaz. During its visit to Tokyo the Uzbek delegation carried on talks with leaders of Japan's government bodies, in charge for the formation and elaboration of a further power-policy strategy including T. Mochizuki, the director of the Agency for Mineral Resources and Power Engineering of Japan; I. Kakefuda, the president of the Japanese National Corporation of Oil, Gas and Metals, and Kyoko Nakayama, adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan. The sides have agreed on the need to intensify and expand scientific exchange between Japanese and Uzbek research institutes and centers, to organize the joint internships for young specialists in these fields, as well as exchange opinions on the prospects of attracting the Japanese technologies to reconnaissance, development and extraction of mineral resources in Uzbekistan.
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