GLR
TOKYO: Japan has announced an ambitious five-year plan to generate business projects worth a combined 3 trillion yen (about $19 billion) across Central Asia, underscoring Tokyo’s growing push to expand its economic footprint and influence in the strategically important, resource-rich region.
The goal was unveiled on Saturday following an inaugural summit in Tokyo hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with the leaders of five Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting marked a significant step in deepening Japan’s engagement with Central Asia through high-level political dialogue and long-term economic cooperation.
According to a joint statement released after the talks, Japan has set a new target to support and facilitate business projects totalling 3 trillion yen over the next five years. The initiative is aimed at strengthening trade, investment and industrial partnerships while encouraging Japanese companies to play a larger role in the region’s development.
Like the United States and the European Union, Japan has increasingly turned its attention to Central Asia because of its vast but largely untapped reserves of natural resources, including critical minerals essential for advanced manufacturing, clean energy technologies and high-tech industries. Tokyo is seeking to diversify its supply chains for rare earths and other strategic materials, reducing its reliance on China amid growing geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
The joint statement emphasised that Central Asia’s abundance of natural resources and energy supplies gives it strong potential to expand access to global markets. Japan and the five Central Asian countries agreed to promote cooperation that would help strengthen critical minerals supply chains, enhance industrial capacity and improve connectivity with international trade networks.
In addition to resource development, the leaders pledged to work together on broader economic and environmental goals. These include supporting sustainable economic growth, encouraging private-sector investment, and advancing decarbonisation efforts through cleaner energy projects and environmentally responsible technologies.
The summit reflects Japan’s broader strategy of deepening partnerships beyond East Asia, positioning itself as a reliable economic and technological partner while contributing to stability and development in Central Asia. For the Central Asian states, closer ties with Japan offer an opportunity to attract investment, modernise key industries and diversify their economic relationships in an increasingly competitive global environment.
About the Author
