ISLAMABAD: Akamatsu Shuichi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Pakistan, hosted the “Pakistan-Japan Human Resources Stakeholders Meeting” at the Ambassador’s Residence in Islamabad.
The high-level gathering brought together approximately 70 key stakeholders actively engaged in developing and facilitating Pakistani human resources for employment opportunities in Japan.
The event witnessed the presence of distinguished figures including Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development; Shaza Fatima, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications; Mohammad Aaun Saqlain, Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, and representatives from leading Japanese and Pakistani organisations.
Participants included representatives from PlusW, Proud Partners, Japan Pakistan Innovation Institute (JPII) and Japan Station.
Also, representatives from key institutions such as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) were present.
The forum centered on the growing demands for skilled Pakistani labour in Japan and explored strategies to build stronger linkages that enable the smooth deployment of qualified professionals across multiple sectors, including IT, healthcare, construction, agriculture, and manufacturing.
Ambassador Akamatsu, in his welcome remarks, stated: “I am confident that the success of Pakistani professionals in Japan is becoming one of the key pillars of the bilateral relations. Both Japanese and Pakistani embassies remains committed to making contributions in this area. The evaluation of Pakistani talents in Japan is becoming higher and higher. Therefore, I expect that the demands for skilled Pakistani professionals will be expanding in the future. Japan seeks high-quality human resources, and by engaging with Japan, young Pakistani talents will contribute significantly to strengthening the Japan-Pakistan relations. For Pakistan, remittances are one of the major economic pillars, and the skills and knowledge Pakistani workers acquire in Japan will help to foster industrial development after returning to their home country. Please allow me to touch upon the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which has opened as of 13th of April until 13th of October, half a year. More than 160 countries participate in this Expo. Among them, Pakistan Pavilion, which is consist of pink salts, is so popular among the visitors.”
Minister Salik Hussain emphasised the need for enhanced cooperation between Pakistan and Japan to help Pakistani professionals access opportunities in the Japanese corporate sector.
He commended the partnership between the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) and PlusW, noting that its recent expansion under the Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) program now covers sectors beyond IT, including healthcare, construction, agriculture, and manufacturing.
Minister Shaza Fatima highlighted the success of Pakistani IT companies at Japan IT Week in Tokyo (April 2025), where 15 companies secured contracts exceeding $600,000. She called for more roadshows to showcase Pakistani tech talent in Japan and urged the development of a demand-supply matching platform to better align Pakistan’s workforce development with Japan’s needs.
She also advocated for the inclusion of IT and telecommunication fields in Japan’s Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) programme.
Speakers from JICA, JETRO, PlusW (celebrating its 5th anniversary), Pakistani university student (with fluent Japanese and English) and OEC
Pakistan also shared updates on their respective initiatives to expand workforce collaboration and strengthen the people-to-people ties.
The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of mutual commitment to promoting sustainable, long-term collaboration among stakeholders of Japan and Pakistan through human capital development and cross-border workforce mobility.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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