On 9 to 11 September 2026, a delegation of Japanese business circles consisting of 10 representatives of Japanese companies visited Uzbekistan on a working visit. The delegation was headed by Dr. M. Wajima, Deputy Director of the Japan Association for Trade with Russia and the Newly Independent States (ROTOBO). The visit was organised on the Uzbek side by the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship.

ROTOBO brings together Japanese companies and organisations operating in the markets of Russia and the newly independent states. Cooperation between the Association and the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship has been developing since 2024 and covers joint projects in the fields of the innovative and green economy, entrepreneurship development and the digital transformation of business.

The purpose of the visit was to establish direct business contacts between Uzbek and Japanese entrepreneurs, to discuss prospects for cooperation in the food and textile industries oriented towards exports to Japan, and to support the digital transformation of domestic enterprises.

These industries were identified as priority areas of cooperation in view of the export potential of Uzbek manufacturers and the requirements of the Japanese market regarding product quality, stability of supply and packaging standards.

The business programme of the visit was organised by the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship and was built around visits to operating production facilities.

On 10 September, the delegation travelled to Samarkand region, where it studied the operations of PET AGRO OIL LLC, a producer of oil and fat products.

On 11 September, in the city of Tashkent, the Japanese entrepreneurs visited the finished textile products enterprise BEST COLOR TEXTILE and the food production enterprise FRESH FOOD PACK LLC. At each enterprise, the delegation toured the production lines and held talks with the management on product quality, production volumes, export readiness and possible formats of cooperation with Japanese partners.

In the course of the visit, the Japanese delegation was briefed at the Graduate School on the activities of the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship and the projects it implements.

The Graduate School operates as a think tank that links economic research with the practical needs of industries and regions. The Japanese side was separately presented with the areas of work related to the development of e-commerce and the startup ecosystem. In parallel, work is under way to support startups and to introduce innovative business models, from the initial development of an idea to market entry. The Japanese side noted the practical orientation of these projects and their applicability in the context of the digital transformation of enterprises.

The concluding meeting at the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship was devoted to further areas of joint work.

The visit continues the course towards expanding practical interaction between the business circles of Uzbekistan and Japan and towards building sustainable ties for the development of production and trade cooperation between the enterprises of the two countries.