Japanese delegation due in October

SIALKOT: A high level Japanese delegation will visit Pakistan in October to explore new avenue of investment and enhance bilateral trade between Japan and Pakistan.

This was stated by Foreign Affairs Ministry Japan Director Makoto Matsuda while addressing the members of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Thursday.

He said the delegation during its stay in Pakistan would visit Islamabad and Sialkot. The delegation will assess the scope of investment as well as business collaboration in different trade fields with the members of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said.

Makoto Matsuda further said that the delegation would also discuss different aspects of trade and investment with high ups of Pakistan in Islamabad. He was confident that the visit of the delegation would help boost bilateral trade between the two countries and pave way for Japanese investment in Pakistan.

In his address of welcome, President SCCI Naeem Anwar Qureshi said that the proposed visit of high level delegation surely help pave way for further improving bilateral trade between Pakistan and Japan.

Naeem said it is high time for both the countries to focus on broadening the scope of mutual cooperation and extend to the areas of trade and investment, energy, infrastructure development and all other sectors of interest. Japan is one of the leading economic powers of the world and important factor of Japans success lies in the promotion of small and medium enterprises, he said.

The LCCI President further stated that the policy towards the promotion of SMEs resulted that majority of companies are small providing employment to approximately 64.5 million people and 30 percent of Japan's export come from SMEs. There is an urgent need to create more coordination between private sectors of Pakistan and Japan for enhancing trade he suggested.

Naeem further suggested that engagements of the Pakistan Chambers and Japan which could act was a resource base for exchanging information, exchange of trade delegation and holding of joint trade exhibitions would also help in promotion of bilateral trade.

Yasushi Nakagawa, Deputy Director Southwest Asian Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan and Naoaki Kamoshida Counseller and Head of Economic Development section Embassy of Japan were also present on the occasion.