On April 15, the final day of his official visit to Japan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held high-level meetings with Emperor Naruhito, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and prominent representatives of Japan’s business, scientific, and academic communities.
During discussions with the Japanese business community and on the sidelines of the visit, 15 cooperation documents were signed, covering a wide spectrum of sectors, including industry, energy, education, and environmental sustainability. These agreements mark a new chapter in the dynamic partnership between the two countries.
Meeting with Emperor Naruhito
At the Imperial Palace, President Berdimuhamedov met with Emperor Naruhito of Japan. Both sides reaffirmed the high level of bilateral relations and expressed a shared commitment to further strengthening ties.
Emperor Naruhito emphasized that Turkmen-Japanese relations have entered a qualitatively new phase, highlighting the significance of President Berdimuhamedov’s visit. He congratulated Turkmenistan on the successful celebration of its National Day at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, describing the country’s participation as a clear indicator of its achievements across various sectors.
President Berdimuhamedov, in turn, expressed confidence that the meeting would mark a new milestone in the history of friendly relations between the two nations. He conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, to the Emperor.
The Emperor praised the personal contribution of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the development of Turkmen-Japanese partnership and conveyed his heartfelt wishes in response.
The meeting placed particular emphasis on trade and economic cooperation. With its cutting-edge technologies and industrial strength, Japan is viewed by Turkmenistan as a key partner in the country’s economic modernization. Turkmenistan, rich in natural resources, is committed to their effective and sustainable utilization through the adoption of advanced, including Japanese, technologies.
President Berdimuhamedov highlighted Turkmenistan’s ongoing reforms across major sectors, including power generation, oil and gas, chemicals, construction, transport, and agriculture. He emphasized the importance of innovative approaches and cooperation with global technology leaders like Japan to achieve sustainable development goals.
Promising areas for future cooperation include renewable energy, information technology, environmental protection, and green development.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation was also noted as a vital component of the bilateral relationship. President Berdimuhamedov expressed Turkmenistan’s deep interest in Japanese culture, arts, and traditions. In response, Emperor Naruhito underscored the significance of Japanese language instruction in Turkmenistan’s educational institutions as a meaningful example of mutual respect and interest.
Concluding the meeting, both leaders voiced confidence that the strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and Japan will continue to thrive and deepen, contributing to peace, development, and prosperity for the peoples of both nations.
Meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan
On April 15, official talks were held in Tokyo between the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba.
Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed President Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Japan and welcomed that on April 14 Turkmenistan held the first National Day Event of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. He also stated that he would like to closely work together to deepen relations with Turkmenistan as mutually beneficial partner based on friendship and mutual trust.
Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed that the bilateral relations between Japan and Turkmenistan made a progress in various fields including “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue and stated that Japan would like to further strengthen economic relations taking advantage of its technology in order to realize energy transition of Turkmenistan with its rich natural resources through the promotion of projects such as the second GTG(Gas to Gasoline) plant and ammonia and urea plant in Kiyanly.
President Berdimuhamedov, in turn, thanked the Japanese side for the warm hospitality extended to him during his visit. He underscored Turkmenistan’s interest in further expanding its partnership with Japan and outlined three primary areas of bilateral cooperation.
Documents Signed
Following the meeting with the Japanese business community and on the sidelines of the visit, the following bilateral documents were signed:
1. Framework Agreement between the Turkmenhimiýa State Concern and a group of companies consisting of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanaýi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (Türkiye) and Itochu Corporation (Japan) on cooperation in the design, procurement and construction of the second gas-to-gasoline processing plant in the Akhal Velayat of Turkmenistan on a turnkey basis;
2. Framework Agreement between the State Concern Turkmenhimiýa and the group of companies consisting of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Gap Inşaat Yatirim ve Diş Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (Türkiye) and Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan) on cooperation in the design, procurement and construction of a plant for production of carbamide with a capacity of 1,155,000 tons per year in the village of Kiyanly in the Balkan Velayat of Turkmenistan on a turnkey basis;
3. Framework Agreement between the Turkmenhimiýa State Concern and the Toyo Engineering Corporation Group of Companies (Japan) and Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanaýi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Türkiye) on cooperation in the overhaul of the Kiyanly Polymer Plant in Turkmenistan;
4. Supplementary Agreement No. 2 between the State Concern Turkmenhimiýa and the company Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. to the Framework Agreement No. 02/24 dated 05/09/2024 (HZM-740101 dated 06/03/2024);
5. Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan) on cooperation on projects for the conversion of open-cycle power plants to a combined cycle;
6. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and Muroosystems Corporation of Japan;
7. Memorandum of Understanding between the State Committee for the Construction of Arkadag City under the President of Turkmenistan and Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan);
8. Memorandum of Understanding between the Oguz Khan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan and Tokyo Boeki Eurasia Ltd.;
9. Memorandum of Understanding between the Oguz Khan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan and Tohkemy Corporation of Japan;
10. Memorandum of Understanding between the State Committee of Water Resources of Turkmenistan and the Japanese Corporation Kubota;
11. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the Chuo University Research Initiative to improve the national greenhouse gas inventory and enhance reporting capacity in accordance with the Paris Agreement;
12. Memorandum of Cooperation between the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Japan Export and Investment Insurance Agency.
13. Memorandum of Understanding between the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Nippon Foundation and the JACAFA Foundation;
14. Memorandum of Understanding between the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, the Nippon Foundation and the JACAFA Foundation;
15. Memorandum of Understanding between the Oguz Khan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan, the Nippon Foundation and the JACAFA Foundation.