Japan willing to aid development in Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan and Japan have strong trade relations and Japan is ready to play its part in the development of Pakistan, said Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Kuninori Matsuda.

This was said in an address to the annual meeting of Pakistan-Japan Business Forum earlier this week.

The envoy took notice of the untapped trade and business potential of Karachi in his visit to the city. He pointed out that Karachi has ample business opportunities to greatly add to the economy. He saw the city as an important economic and trade hub. In the 1960s, he said, Karachi was a cultural and entertainment hub and attracted people and investors from all over the world including Japan.

He emphasised that Japan and Pakistan can collaborate in fields beyond just automobile. He said that the collaboration can be in the areas of food, energy, education, logistic, tourism, fishing, agriculture, pharmaceutical and others.

He informed the audience that Japan had included Pakistan in the list of top-10 friendly countries and soon new avenues in trade and employment in Japan will be explored and opened.

“Skilled workforce is necessary for development, hence, Japan is facilitating Pakistan in training and educating the manpower in areas of civil engineering, science and technology,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan-Japan Business Forum President Sohail Ahmed stressed the need for increasing trade with Tokyo as beyond the current volume.

Ahmed expressed a strong belief in the immense trade potential and investment opportunities in both countries. In an endorsement of the ambassador’s remarks, he reiterated that skilled manpower is an absolute necessity for a strong economy.