TOKYO, May 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s brief working visit to Japan, which ended yesterday, has strengthened the trade and investment ties between Malaysia and the Land of the Rising Sun.
At the conclusion of his visit, Anwar told the Malaysian media that the visit had also succeeded in securing new potential investments worth RM1.45 billion and potential exports valued at RM550 million from seven major Japanese companies.
“We welcome investments from Japanese companies in the electrical and electronics, robotics, chemicals and petrochemicals, digital economy, renewable energy, and green technology sectors,” he said.
The visit, undertaken to participate in the 29th International Conference on the Future of Asia organised by Nikkei Inc., followed the elevation of bilateral relations with Japan to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2023.
Anwar’s bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida also strengthens Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo cooperation in energy transition, renewable energy, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage.
Japan has also contributed 400 million yen (RM12.03 million) of Official Security Assistance (OSA) grant aid.
“We look forward to the July 2024 technical visit by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is comprised of experts and industry players in non-radioactive rare earth elements,” said Anwar.
In terms of education, the Prime Minister said student registration at the University of Tsukuba branch campus in Malaysia will begin in September this year, while Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UteM) Melaka are currently in talks to collaborate with Waseda University.
The setting up of the University of Tsukuba branch campus in Malaysia is historic, being the first branch campus of a Japanese public university to be established in the country.
Accompanying the Prime Minister on this trip were Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.
— Bernama
