Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to announce an economic aid package for central Asia in a meeting with five regional leaders in Kazakhstan early next month, government officials said.
Tokyo is aiming to strengthen ties with the region, over which China and Russia have strong influence, through the assistance for sustainable economic development.
Kishida is scheduled to visit Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia from August 9 to 12.
The economic package is centered around the establishment of a trade route, decarbonization and the promotion of people-to-people exchanges. It is expected to be part of a joint statement to be released after the six-way summit in Kazakhstan.
Under the aid plan, Japan will help establish a trade route through the Caspian Sea that will link Central Asia and Europe without going through Russia, in the hope that a stable export route would give the region economic independence.
In the field of decarbonization, Japanese companies' technologies and loans are expected to be used for such measures such as aid in the processing of natural gas. For exchanges, Japan is set to accept skilled workers from the region.
The five Central Asian countries — Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — are former Soviet states that maintain strong security ties with Russia but have distanced themselves from Moscow to some extent over its invasion of Ukraine.
Central Asia is a key geopolitical area between East Asia and Europe that is rich in natural resources such as gases. China has been expanding its economic influence there in recent years, and the United States and the European Union are also seeking to strengthen links.
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