KARACHI: Pakistan would seek Japanese assistance in five broad areas including trade, development, security, energy and institution building during President Zardari’s visit to Japan.
The president is likely to visit Japan by the end of this month as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought proposals from various government institutions, trade bodies and chambers of commerce for boosting the existing trade volume between Pakistan and Japan, sources said.
Zardari, who last visited Japan in April 2009 and attended a meeting of ‘Friends of Democratic Pakistan’ in Tokyo, would discuss bilateral and regional issues with the high-ups in the foreign country. Pakistan’s total export to Japan stands at $240 million, while the imports are $1.0 billion. According to sources, Islamabad would try to convince the Japanese government to avail investment opportunities in special economic zones (SEZ), established exclusively for Japanese investors. Pakistan is a natural route for trade and energy corridors for central Asia and west Asia. On the other hand, sources claimed, the Japanese would also raise the used vehicles import issue and the government’s decision to allow import of five year old vehicles. The move would hurt Japanese interest in Pakistan, as currently around 40 Japanese companies are operating in Pakistan. Among them, leading Japanese companies are Suzuki, Toyota, Honda and Hino etc.
The expected visit of president Zardari to Japan was finalised during his recent meeting with Japanese Ambassador in Pakistan Chihiro Atsumi. Various matters relating to Pak-Japan bilateral relations, mutual cooperation in various areas with particular focus on the promotion of trade and investment ties between the two countries were also discussed in the meeting. According to sources, Pakistan’s main export items to Japan are textile yarn, woven fabrics, leather and leather manufactures, sport goods, fish and fish products. The main imports items from Japan include road vehicles, boilers, machinery and equipment, iron and steel, telecommunication and organic chemicals.
Pakistani exporters, in cooperation of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and JETRO, were also trying to get greater market shares in the Japanese textile market, while exporters of mangoes/fruits were also waiting for the resolution of quarantine issue to enter the foreign market. Though Pakistan produces best quality mangoes and have already gained access to the markets of US, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Singapore and some other countries, the issue of quality standard was currently hampering mango export to Japan.
