ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat will pay a two-day visit to Japan on Wednesday with officials from both the government and private sectors to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, sources told Anadolu.

The April 23-24 visit aims to carry the deep-rooted friendship between Türkiye and Japan to a higher level in the economic and commercial fields.

Within the scope of the visit, which coincides with the 101st anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Bolat will attend the official opening ceremony of the Turkish pavilion for EXPO 2025 Osaka on Wednesday and introduce Türkiye's cultural and technological vision to the international community.

Türkiye is participating in EXPO 2025 Osaka with the theme, “Golden Age of Civilizations,” while the 900 square meter national pavilion brings together Anatolia's cultural heritage and the country's vision for the future.

On the second day of the visit, Bolat will hold separate bilateral meetings with the Japanese ministers of trade, transport and infrastructure, and agriculture in Tokyo.

Bolat will also attend the Türkiye-Japan CEO round table meeting, which brings together the leading names of the Turkish and Japanese business world, and meet the president of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

Call for strategic investments

While the trade volume between the two countries reached $5.4 billion in 2024, Japan is Türkiye's fourth largest trading partner in Asia.

Türkiye's exports amounted to $718 million and imports $4.7 billion, which points to a structural imbalance between the parties.

Accelerating the negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), launched in 2014 to address this imbalance and build a more equitable economic structure, is a priority on the common agenda.

The total investment of more than 275 Japanese companies operating in Türkiye exceeds $3.1 billion.

Türkiye offers significant opportunities for Japanese capital with its strategic intercontinental location, young and dynamic labor force, advanced infrastructure and investor-friendly reforms.