TURKISH AND JAPANESE BUSINESS WORLDS CONVENE IN IZMIR

Over 200 guests, including representatives from the Turkish and Japanese business sectors and high-ranking officials, participated in the 26th Türkiye-Japan Business Council Joint Meeting

The 26th Türkiye-Japan Business Council Joint Meeting, organized by DEİK/Türkiye-Japan Business Council and attended by prominent representatives from the Turkish and Japanese business sectors, took place in Izmir on October 10, 2023. The meeting was attended by Mehmet Gürcan, Deputy Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, Takahiko Katsumata, Ambassador of Japan to Türkiye, Osman Aksoy, DEİK Board Member, Oğulcan Kemal Sagun, Chairperson of the Türkiye-Japan Business Council, Tsugio Mitsuoka, Co-Chairperson of the Japan-Türkiye Economic Committee, Kei Uruma, Co-Chairperson of the Japan-Türkiye Economic Committee (Keidanren), Bekir Polat, Vice President at the Presidential Investment Office of Türkiye. The participants emphasized the significance of bilateral trade and economic relations and called for increased cooperation.

MAHMUT GÜRCAN: “WE ANTICIPATE THAT OUR TRADE WITH JAPAN WILL SURPASS 6 BILLION USD BY THE END OF 2023”

Mahmut Gürcan, Deputy Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, stated, “The bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Japan has surpassed 5.3 billion USD as of 2022. We anticipate that our trade will surpass 6 billion USD by the end of 2023. I would like to point out that there is a 1 to 7 imbalance against Türkiye in the export-import figures. There is potential to cultivate collaborative ties in domains such as the digital economy, smart cities, finance, transportation, and health. We are aware that Japanese companies are keen on collaborating with Turkish companies in third countries. We believe there is substantial business potential in Central Asia, Africa, and Ukraine, where the Turkish business community is already active.”

AMBASSADOR TAKAHIKO KATSUMATA: “I BELIEVE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS ON THIRD COUNTRIES SHOULD BE A FOCUS FOR BILATERAL COOPERATION”

Japanese Ambassador to Türkiye, Takahiko Katsumata, mentioned, “We are approaching the 100th anniversary of the commencement of bilateral diplomatic relations. Türkiye played a mediating role by initiating a significant effort to address the grain crisis during the Russia-Ukraine war. I believe collaborative studies on third countries should be pursued for bilateral cooperation.”

OĞULCAN KEMAL SAGUN: “WE AIM TO ENHANCE THE JAPAN-TÜRKİYE PARTNERSHIP AND INVESTMENTS IN HIGH VALUE-ADDED SECTORS”

Oğulcan Kemal Sagun, Chairperson of the Türkiye-Japan Business Council, remarked, “Our diplomatic relations, initiated in 1924 during the Republican period, have deepened over 100 years and brought us to the present day. The Türkiye-Japan cooperation has set an exemplary standard of collaboration and solidarity during challenging times, including the 1985 Iran-Iraq war and the evacuation of Japanese citizens from Tehran, the significant earthquake in Japan in 2011 with the support of Japanese search and rescue teams, which exhibited the quickest response after the major earthquake disaster in Türkiye in February. The history of relations dates back to the 1800s, marked notably by the Ertuğrul frigate incident. In the upcoming period, our aim is to continue bilateral trade cooperation between Türkiye and Japan and further develop and diversify existing commercial investments. We aspire to elevate the Japan-Türkiye partnership and investments in high-value-added sectors, including the circular economy, energy, medical sector, mining, automotive, supply industry, digital transformation, e-mobility, and defence industry. The objective is to enhance mutual tourism. We possess immense potential for collaboration in the fields of science, research and development, and technology.”