ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with representatives of Japan’s business community to discuss ongoing and future projects, as well as potential investment opportunities in Kazakhstan as part of his official visit to Japan.
Akira Terakawa, Vice President of Marubeni Corporation and Murat Nurtleu. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry.
Kazakhstan, which has benefited from over $8 billion in investments from Japan, remains one of the top ten largest recipients of Japanese foreign direct investment. This includes contributions in industries such as digitalization, decarbonization, transport, and logistics. Nurtleu highlighted these developments and called for even greater Japanese involvement in new sectors of the Kazakh economy, emphasizing the country’s commitment to creating a favorable investment climate, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service on March 18.
During the meeting with Akira Terakawa, vice president of Marubeni Corporation, they discussed the company’s activities in Kazakhstan, as well as an exchange of views on improving the investment attractiveness of the economy, given the role of the company as a member of the Foreign Investment Council under the President of Kazakhstan and co-chairman of the Kazakhstan-Japan Committee on Economic Cooperation.
The discussion with Nobuhiko Murakami, chairman of the board of Toyota Tsusho, focused on attracting Japanese capital and innovative technologies through the implementation of joint projects in the field of digital infrastructure development and energy saving. Areas such as the stabilization of electric networks and the introduction of digital infrastructure were identified as promising fields for collaboration.
Amy Komai, executive director of Komaihaltec Inc., informed about the company’s projects in Kazakhstan in the field of green energy under the JCM (Joint Crediting Mechanism). Representatives of the company will soon visit the Turkistan Region to develop and create an autonomous power supply system based on wind turbines.
Cargo transportation from Japan to Europe through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or the Middle Corridor, was discussed in detail with Masahiro Tsutsui, president of Nissin transport company. Tsutsui expressed strong interest in using the corridor to enhance logistics, particularly with regard to reducing transportation time.
Throughout the visit, Nurtleu emphasized Kazakhstan’s commitment to supporting Japanese businesses and facilitating investment activities in the country.
