Hebert Zharare in Osaka, Japan A BUSINESS forum to discuss trade and bilateral relations between Zimbabwean Government officials, private sector players, Japanese officials and leading firms from the Asian giant has been scheduled for July 15. Mega deals are expected to be signed at this event, according to Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Japan, Stewart Nyakotyo. Sponsored by the Zimbabwean private sector, the meeting will be held on the sidelines of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. This will be followed by a national day ceremony to be graced by President Mnangagwa. Ambassador Nyakotyo said President Mnangagwa’s visit to Japan will be an opportune time for him to engage with his Japanese counterparts to deepen the two countries’ bilateral relations. After the national day celebrations, which will also be attended by Japanese Government officials, President Mnangagwa will witness the signing ceremony of some deals during the Business-to-Business session before engaging in bilateral meetings, according to Ambassador Nyakotyo. The meeting, to be spearheaded by the Expo 2025 Osaka Japan Commissioner-General Mr Allan Majuru and the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), will be attended by key Government economic ministries and representatives of local private sector players seeking to connect with their Japanese counterparts. “As part of the Expo 2025 Osaka, each country has been allocated a national day and ours will be on July 16. However, the day before, on July 15, we have a business forum which Zimbabwe will host, where we are expecting many Japanese companies to come and participate alongside companies from Zimbabwe. The business meeting is being sponsored by local companies. “So, it will be an opportunity for our companies to meet potential investors from Japan and discuss areas of cooperation. But our major areas of interest will be, of course, industry. We would like industrialisation to be prioritised, whether it’s mining or tourism. The tourism sector is an entry point at the moment. We want to go beyond tourism and do more,” he said. During President Mnangagwa’s visit to South Korea in June last year, Ambassador Nyakotyo, who is also the accredited envoy to South Korea, said discussions on potential cooperation in the area of critical minerals were held. South Korea undertook to work with African countries to ensure a reliable supply of critical minerals needed to spearhead industrialisation. President Mnangagwa, at the well-attended business conference also graced by other African Heads of State and Government during the inaugural South Korea-Africa Summit, articulated the continent’s vision of engaging in mutually beneficial relations with development partners, anchored on the need to add value to mineral resources before export for the benefit of the exporting countries. Following the inaugural South Korea-Africa Summit, the South Korean envoy to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Park Jae Kyung, said his office was inundated with calls from representatives of companies who wanted to understand more about the investment opportunities in Zimbabwe after listening to President Mnangagwa’s captivating address during the business conference in Seoul in June last year. Said Ambassador Nyakotyo: “South Korea and Japan have been cooperating to ensure a reliable supply of critical minerals, which are required for their industries, particularly the motor vehicle sector. The re-engagement and engagement policies that have been enunciated by His Excellency, Dr Mnangagwa, are meant to ensure that Zimbabwe has friends all over the world and that we are able to trade with them and also to get some investment from them. “We are saying we are not an enemy to anybody, and we are a friend to all. Therefore, being in Japan gives us the opportunity to engage with the world, because the people who are visiting our stand at the pavilion are from all over the world. We are expecting over 28 million people to attend, and as Zimbabwe, we are expecting about 3 000 to 4 000 people to visit the Zimbabwe pavilion daily. Sponsored by the Zimbabwean private sector, the meeting will be held on the sidelines of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. “We are happy because we have come to Japan with some expectations, and they are being met. We have interacted with so many potential investors, tourism operators, as well as citizens who would like to come to Zimbabwe, and this is encouraging,” he said. The Expo runs from April 13 to October 13, and Zimbabwe’s pavilion in the Commons B Hall, where most African and Caribbean countries are exhibiting, is the centre of attraction. The virtual reality and physical exhibition is attracting thousands of people daily. About Japan In 2024, Japan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 609.4 trillion Yen (US$4.01 trillion), according to the Japanese Cabinet Office. This marks the first time Japan’s GDP has exceeded 600 trillion Yen in a calendar year. Real GDP growth was 2.8 percent in 2024. Japan’s population, according to the Population Reference Bureau, stands at 125 million. Of the population, 61 million are male and 64 million are female. Japan’s major economic activities are concentrated in the services sector. The service sector accounts for 70 percent of the economy. The remainder covers industries such as manufacturing, particularly automobiles, consumer electronics and semiconductors, alongside a thriving tourism industry. In 2024, Japanese exports to Zimbabwe stood at US$62 million. The top five exported goods from Japan to Zimbabwe included transportation, consumer goods, capital goods, vehicles, parts and accessories. Exports to Japan from Zimbabwe primarily consist of tobacco, crude minerals and cotton.