5th Japan-Arab Economic Forum kicks off in Tokyo

The fifth session of the Japan-Arab Economic Forum launched on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. The two-day forum, organized by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and Japan's Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and Economy, Trade and Industry, aims to explore ways to strengthen economic relations between Japan and the Arab countries.At the outset of the forum, the economic and commercial conference was held between the public and private sectors from the Arab and Japanese sides.During his speech at the conference, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit emphasized that the private sector remains a key player in enhancing trade exchange between the two sides, calling for stronger partnerships between government and private sectors, as well as between companies. He urged the Japanese government to continue encouraging its companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to expand their activities in the Arab region. Likewise, he encouraged Arab companies to take advantage of opportunities in the Japanese market, expressing his aspiration to elevate the partnership to a strategic level to align with the aspirations of the people and the economic potential of both sides.The Secretary-General pointed out that there are several fields that could witness progress between the two sides, including partnerships in education, energy transition, digital technology, health, artificial intelligence, and more. He noted that the Japan-Arab Economic Forum could play a significant role in promoting partnership opportunities in these fields and developing them in the future.The fifth session of the Japan-Arab Economic Forum, held at the ministerial level, addresses topics related to resilient economic development sectors between Japan and Arab countries. These include energy security for both supply and demand sides, digital infrastructure, innovation with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse, in addition to aspects of sustainable economic development such as clean energy technologies, sustainable development goals initiatives, and human resource development in energy and digitization.The Forum activities feature seminars and visits organized by the Japanese side, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). An exhibition is also being held to facilitate participation from relevant stakeholders from both the Arab and Japanese sides.The Forum is held in accordance with the memorandum of cooperation signed in 2009 between Japan and the League of Arab States to enhance cooperation between Japan and the Arab countries, as it was established as a framework for dialogue at the ministerial level to enhance economic relations between Japan and the Arab countries through cooperation in a wide range of economic fields, including trade, investment, energy, science, technology and human resources development.