The Minister of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sherzod Shermatov, held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Uzbekistan, H.E. Kenji Hirata, during which the parties discussed the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the fields of digital technologies, telecommunications, education, and artificial intelligence.
During the meeting, the Minister outlined ongoing efforts to promote the study of foreign languages in Uzbekistan and highlighted the growing demand for the Japanese language. In this context, the sides considered opportunities to attract Japanese volunteers and companies to Uzbekistan, including to rapidly developing and remote regions of the country.
The Minister emphasized that IT Park Uzbekistan is creating favorable conditions for Japanese companies. In particular, he noted the comparatively low cost of doing business in remote regions, which creates significant opportunities for long-term cooperation. It was also underscored that local authorities actively support initiatives aimed at increasing youth employment within their respective regions.
The discussions also covered prospects for cooperation in the construction of data centers, modernization of telecommunications infrastructure, enhancement of internet speed and reliability, and the export of artificial intelligence services. It was noted that the relatively high costs of energy and data center operations in Japan and Europe may encourage companies to consider utilizing infrastructure available in Uzbekistan.
As part of the visit, the Japanese delegation was introduced to the activities of UZINFOCOM, a single integrator. Presentations were delivered on the organization’s ongoing projects, and the delegation was also briefed on the key areas of activity and capabilities of UzSoc.
Ambassador Kenji Hirata underscored the particular significance of the meeting ahead the C5+Japan Summit and highly commended the preparatory work being carried out by the Ministry to ensure the effectiveness of the upcoming visit.
In his remarks, the Ambassador noted the steadily growing interest of Japanese companies in Uzbekistan and added that, within the scope of the Embassy’s mandate, proposals would be advanced to facilitate the attraction of Japanese businesses to the country.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their readiness to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of digital technologies, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, education, and innovation.
