On the sidelines of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue Summit, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on December 20 held a high-level meeting in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss the future of Tajikistan–Japan relations across multiple sectors.
Tajik president’s official website says President Rahmon extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Takaichi for the warm welcome and for Japan’s meticulous organization of the landmark CA+JAD Summit. The leaders held extensive discussions on deepening bilateral cooperation, with a particular focus on economic, technological, and humanitarian engagement.
Key areas of discussion included the work of the Intergovernmental Commission, the strengthening of inter-parliamentary dialogue, and the activities of the Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group. Both sides expressed a shared interest in expanding collaboration in trade, investment, and infrastructure development.
A proposal was made to adopt a Program of Trade and Economic Cooperation for 2026–2028, aimed at guiding long-term engagement between the two nations.
Discussions also focused on attracting Japanese investment and technology to Tajikistan, with a particular emphasis on preferential loans and the participation of Japanese companies in establishing joint ventures in sectors such as electronics, automotive, pharmaceuticals, mineral processing, and agriculture.
President Rahmon highlighted the importance of advancing cooperation in the digital economy and artificial intelligence, noting the growing relevance of these fields to Tajikistan’s development strategy. The two sides discussed joint ventures in cotton, cocoon, fruit and vegetable, and medicinal plant processing, with an emphasis on value-added production.
Tourism was also identified as a priority sector, with Tajikistan seeking to promote ecological, mountaineering, and recreational tourism. Enhanced cultural and educational cooperation was discussed, including the expansion of scholarship programs for Tajik students, particularly in medicine, aviation technology, information security, and environmental protection.
The two leaders praised their countries’ active cooperation in international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, and affirmed mutual support for each other's global initiatives. President Rahmon also emphasized the importance of East Asia — and Japan in particular — as a strategic partner in tackling global challenges such as climate change, food security, and public health.
Concluding the meeting, President Emomali Rahmon extended an official invitation to Prime Minister Takaichi to visit Tajikistan, signaling a strong desire to elevate bilateral relations to a new level, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
According to Japan’s MFA, Prime Minister Takaichi welcomed the cooperation documents between inter-ministerial and other documents in the fields of foreign affairs, agriculture, industry, transport and others on this occasion of President Rahmon’s visit to Japan.
She also welcomed that bilateral cooperation between Japan and Tajikistan made a progress in various fields including “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, and she expressed her desire to deepen cooperation on critical minerals. She reportedly stated that Japan would like to further strengthen economic relations taking advantage of Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Tajikistan for the Liberalization, Promotion and Protection of Investment that was signed on this occasion.
Prime Minister Takaichi also welcomed the decision to launch ODA projects to establish a new transmission substation for meeting the increasing power demand in the capital Dushanbe, as well as to provide large X-ray equipment to railways border customs for supporting the improvement of connectivity within the region, and from Central Asia to the world by further developing “Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.”
