Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was supposed to visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this week and hold the Central Asia + Japan summit. But due to the threat of a tsunami in the Land of the Rising Sun, he postponed his trip. So, what is Tokyo’s desire to become more active in Central Asia?

 

According to Mekhriniso Abdurasulova, Head of the Japanese Studies Programme, Japan is providing politically selfless assistance to the region. Last year, when Japan hosted the G7 summit, China brought together Central Asian leaders. At that time, members of Prime Minister Kishida’s party spoke of the need to review Tokyo’s ties with Central Asia. After these events, the Japanese Prime Minister was preparing for the visit.

 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s statement commenting on Kishida’s visit reflects Moscow’s view of the summit. Zakharova argued that Japan and Central Asia are not united by economic interests, that Western ideas are being introduced into the region through Japan, and that the US is trying to weaken the positions of Russia and China in Central Asia. Japan is opening the door to labour migration for Uzbeks, Mekhriniso Abdurasulova said. Because here, unlike in Russia, migrants’ rights are protected by law, they are not discriminated against and are treated as equal Asians, the Japanese scholar said.

 

* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.