OREANDA-NEWS. On November 16, 2007 President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received head of Isuzu Motors (Japan) Ida Yoshinori, reported the Official website www.gov.uz.

At the meeting in Oqsaroy residence in Tashkent, the sides considered issues related to implementation of new joint projects with Isuzu Motors, as well as expansion of technical and investment cooperation between the companies of Uzbekistan and the Japanese company.

“Uzbekistan highly values the developing economic cooperation with Japan,” President Karimov said at the meeting. “Your cooperation with Uzbek partners, in particular, is a significant contribution to the development of economic relations between our states.”

Ida Yoshinori said Isuzu Motors was interested in expanding cooperation with Uzbekistan.

Automobile building is one of the areas Uzbekistan and Japan are successfully cooperating in. Isuzu buses, trucks and cranes are currently produced by Samarkand automobile plant.

Japan has supported socioeconomic reforms in Uzbekistan since the early years of the country’s independence. More than 10 large projects are being implemented in the country with participation of Japanese investments. Japan has invested almost USD 2 billion in Uzbekistan since establishment of diplomatic relations.

Nine Uzbek-Japanese joint ventures operate currently in Uzbekistan. Organizations like JICA and JETRO, as well as more than 20 large corporations of Japan (including Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Marubeni, Itochu, Toyota Tsusho, Kintetsu Eurasia Express and Sojitz) have offices in the country.