Tashkent – When leaders of Central Asian nations meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for the first ever Japan-Central Asia Summit this month, East Asia’s longstanding economic powerhouse will have an opportunity to become an influential actor in Central Asia — not merely by its size, but rather by a strategic move to focus on the sustainability agenda in this mineral-rich region.
The first Japan-Central Asia summit comes after decades in which other geopolitical giants such as China, Russia and, most recently, the United States with last month’s C5+1 Summit in Washington, set their sights on economic and political influence in the region.
It’s no mystery as to why: In addition to its strategic importance as a bridge between East and West, the five countries of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — are home to vast energy and mineral reserves and a growing source of the rare-earth metals necessary for modern electronics, green energy and military technology.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.