Opinions & Interviews

BREST, 23 June (BelTA) – Children's toys by the Polesie company from Kobrin are in high demand in Japan, Charge d’Affaires ad interim of Japan to Belarus Hiroki Tokunaga said. said during a meeting at the Brest Oblast Executive Committee, BelTA has learned.

“The volume of trade and economic cooperation between our countries is not very large, but there is potential for growth. Let me give you an example. In 2015, Polesie, the manufacturer of children's toys from Kobrin, began shipping its goods to Japan. The demand for them was consistently high during the year. In 2016 the company opened the first store in Tokyo. I hope that trade relations between our two countries, in particular, between Japan and Brest Oblast, will evolve in such a positive way,” the diplomat noted.

Brest Oblast governor Anatoly Lis informed that in 2016 Brest Oblast had a foreign trade at more than $3.5 billion. The region's major trading partners were Russia (accounting for more than 55% of the region’s total trade), Poland (about 10%), Ukraine (5%), Germany (4%). Brest Oblast increased shipments of locally-made goods to China (by 2.8%). The trade between Japan and Brest Oblast in January-April of 2017 amounted to $1.6 million, up by 2.5%. Brest Oblast had a deficit in trade with Japan.

“I would like to see more goods from Brest Oblast on the Japanese market. We know that Japan is highly-developed and self-sufficient country,” the governor noted. He also expressed interest in attracting more Japanese investors and producers to the market of Brest Oblast. “We are especially interested in the production of medical goods. We know that this industry is well-developed in Japan. We are also ready to consider projects in logistics, cargo operations and mechanical engineering,” Anatoly Lis added.

Hiroki Tokunaga stressed that more tourists and businessmen visit Belarus today. The diplomat said that it was thanks to Belarus’ five-day visa-free program. “Japanese people like to open new countries for themselves. They are interested in places they have never been to. In late July-early August the Japanese television will be airing a program about Belarus’ tourism opportunities A big travel agency plans an excursion trip to Belarus. I hope more Japanese people will be coming to see Belarus,” the diplomat said.

The charge d’affaires is on his first visit to Brest Oblast. He took part in the ceremonies to present medical equipment to the local healthcare establishments in Luninets and Brest. Hiroki Tokunaga also plans to visit Savushkin Product dairy, one of the region’s largest processing companies.