Jafza, Japan explore investment opportunities in Mena

Senior officials from Jebel Ali Free Zone, Japan External Trade Organisation and Japan Business Council attend a business forum to promote trade ties in Dubai.

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) recently organised a Japanese Business Forum to promote trade relations and explore future opportunities in various sectors.

The forum was attended by Hisashi Michegama, Consul-General of Japan in Dubai; Ibrahim Mohammed Al Janahi, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer at Jafza; Talal Al Hashimi, Chief Operating Officer; senior officials from the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) and Japan Business Council, apart from Japanese companies operating in Jafza.

Al Hashimi stressed the importance of the forum in strengthening relations between Jafza and the Japanese business community by exchanging views on business development and growth plans. Al Hashimi praised Japanese companies in Jafza for their significant role in the free zone's journey over the past 30 years and thanked them for their confidence in its logistical and administrative capabilities.

Al Hashimi said: "Japan is one of our most important partners with some of the renowned names from various sectors setting up their regional base here. In the last three decades, Japanese companies have played a pivotal role in stimulating trade between Jafza and various regional countries due to the high export competitiveness enjoyed by Jafza regionally and globally.

Trade figures worth $2.7 billion, a growth of 36 per cent over the past five years, and the addition of new Japanese companies annually reflect the positive movement of trade within Jafza."

He added: "Jafza has become a distribution hub for Japanese goods and products and support the companies in reaching regional countries and beyond. In May, we organised a roadshow to Japan comprising seminars in three cities that was attended by more than 220 investors."

The Consul General of Japan in Dubai said: "The statistics issued by the International Monetary Fund reveal a strong and stable economy for the UAE that will continue to register an upward trend for the next few years. This is a convincing sign of the opportunities in store for Japanese companies here. The Japanese companies realise the importance of Dubai in connecting us to the regional markets and remain the favourite destination for businesses. Trade exchange between Dubai and Japan has witnesses a steady growth since 2009 and there is a year-on-year increase in the number of Japanese companies in Jafza."

Koji Tomita, president of the Japanese Business Council (JBC) in Jafza and director of Nissan Middle East, spoke of the council's role in developing trade ties between Japanese companies and Jafza.

Tomita said: "The Council, which was founded in 2009 with 32 members, was the first Japanese business council in the Middle East. Today, the JBC comprises over 177 members from Dubai and Northern Emirates, of which 53 members are companies based in Jafza. The council plays a vital role in supporting business growth for Japanese companies in the Mena."

The forum was attended by leading Japanese companies including Sony, Nissan, Panasonic, Nippon Steel, Sumitomo, Komatsu, Toshiba and Brother International.

- business@khaleejtimes.com