On September 21, a solemn reception was organized in Tokyo, at the New Otani Hotel, in connection with the 31st anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, Kun.uz correspondent who participated in the event reported.
Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Japan Mukhsinkhodja Abdurakhmonov, politicians sympathetic to Uzbekistan in Japan, representatives of various organizations, businessmen and public representatives took part in the ceremony.
Speaking at the event, Keiji Furuya, a member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament, said that he visited Uzbekistan last month and emphasized that his country is striving to deepen relations with Central Asia.
“After returning from Uzbekistan, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other interested organizations, I am developing plans to establish an inter-parliamentary friendship league between Japan and Central Asian countries. The purpose of this is to hold the Central Asian summit in Japan and to achieve participation of the leaders of Japan and Central Asian countries in it,” the deputy said.
Furuya stated that he is the chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship League established between Japan and the Pacific Islands, and emphasized that the summit of the Pacific Islands will be held by this council every three years, and the leaders of 15 countries located in the Pacific Ocean will participate in the summit.
He noted that Japan has been providing assistance to many partner countries in various fields.
“By holding a summit with five countries of Central Asia, we intend to express its effect in Central Asia and deepen our support. We hope to use this summit not only within Japan, but also to disseminate information to the globe at the world exhibition “Expo-2025”, which will be held in Osaka in 2025,” the Japanese parliamentarian.
Keiji Furuya called on Uzbekistan to take the lead in this matter.
In his speech, the Japanese MP noted that many Japanese people recognize the history, culture and delicious food of Uzbekistan, which is located on the Great Silk Road. “At the same time, there are many of our compatriots who do not know how charming Central Asia is. Therefore, we should increase the importance of Central Asia for Japan,” he said.
For information, 70-year-old Keiji Furuya is one of the most famous Japanese politicians. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Japanese parliament: he was elected to the parliament 11 times during more than 30 years.
Furuya visited Uzbekistan in early August and held meetings with Minister of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjayev, Minister of Health Behzod Musayev, Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Sherzod Shermatov and others.
Inter-Parliamentary Friendship League between Uzbekistan and Japan was established in 2004. The Japan-Uzbekistan inter-parliamentary forum is planned to be held in the second half of 2022. Legislators of Japan established dialogue with their colleagues in several other countries of Central Asia in this format.
Currently, the amount of financial and financial-technical assistance provided to Uzbekistan within the framework of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the International Bank for International Cooperation (JABIC) has exceeded $7 billion.
