Newsletter No. 16
June 17, 2005

 

KAZAKH PRIME MINISTER VISITS TOKYO

Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov of Kazakhstan, accompanied by his finance minister and transport minister, has made a short trip to Japan this week. On the 14th Prime Minister Akhmetov met with Prime Minister Koizumi at the Kantei:

Photo: Akhmetov and Koizumi
Source: Kantei

The main headline to emerge from the meeting was Japan’s decision to support Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO and Kazakhstan’s announcement that it supports Japan’s candidacy as a permanent member of the UNSC.

On the 15th, Prime Minister Akhmetov attended the Aichi Expo for Kazakhstan’s national day. He was attended by two former Japanese prime ministers, Ryutaro Hashimoto and Tsutomu Hata.

Japan has strong interest in participating in the development of Kazakhstan’s rich oil fields. For its part, Kazakhstan receives significant ODA from Japan and desires Japan’s help in developing high-tech industries like satellites.