Uzbekistan’s Minister of Mining Industry and Geology Bobir Islamov has met with representatives of Japan’s Itochu Corporation to discuss expanding cooperation in mining and geological exploration, with a focus on attracting Japanese investment and advanced technologies to Uzbekistan’s growing minerals sector.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum and was attended by officials from the Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology and state-owned uranium producer Navoiyuran. The parties reviewed opportunities to advance prospective joint projects and strengthen investment flows into Uzbekistan’s mineral resources sector.
Itochu is one of Japan’s largest general trading companies, operating across metals and minerals, energy, machinery, chemicals, food and infrastructure in more than 60 countries. The corporation already has a footprint in Uzbekistan’s uranium sector through a joint uranium enterprise in Navoi involving Navoiyuran, making the meeting a natural extension of an existing commercial relationship.
The discussions reflect Uzbekistan’s broader strategy of attracting foreign capital and technological expertise to develop its substantial mineral endowment — including uranium, gold, copper and a growing portfolio of critical minerals — as the country seeks to move beyond raw material extraction toward value-added industrial production. Japan’s interest in Central Asian minerals is driven by structural necessity: the country is entirely dependent on mineral imports and has been systematically diversifying supply chains away from Chinese dominance through government-backed engagement across the region.
