Is Japan inciting Uzbekistan against other countries?

Japan does not exert pressure on Central Asia and has no military interests in the region. This was stated by Kitamura Toshihiro, Press Secretary of Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, at a press conference in Tashkent.

On August 26-27, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited Uzbekistan, where he was received by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and held talks with his counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov. Discussions focused on planned events, including the upcoming Central Asia–Japan summit in the 5+1 format.

Uzbekistan participates in similar 5+1 formats with several partners, including the United States, Japan, China, and the European Union. However, such multilateral arrangements often create challenges for Central Asian countries. For example, the statement adopted at the first Central Asia–EU summit in Samarkand on April 3-4 emphasized respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and called on states to refrain from actions contradicting these principles. This clause created difficulties for four Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan—due to their ties with the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). At the conclusion of that summit, participating states reaffirmed their commitment to UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984), which reject recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. However, the OTS granted observer status to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in November 2022 and to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in November 2023, both during summits hosted by Uzbekistan. These statuses oblige leaders who have committed not to recognize or cooperate with the SCO to nonetheless engage with its representatives at least twice annually, share summits, and sign joint documents.

Against this backdrop, the question arises whether Japan, by expanding its dialogue with Uzbekistan and developing regional ties through the 5+1 platform, is seeking to impose its own foreign policy agenda under the guise of economic cooperation. A QALAMPIR.UZ correspondent raised this question with Kitamura Toshihiro.

"As a diplomat, I cannot comment on the foreign relations of other countries, especially Uzbekistan’s relations with the EU. No organization or state should view the 5+1 summits as a form of competition. Japan was the first to propose this platform. Our goal is to strengthen relations with the countries of the region. We never want to pressure Uzbekistan to follow Japan’s foreign policy. We only express our position gently and do not impose it on others. We never raise issues that harm either side. Japan remains an economic superpower, but our interest in Uzbekistan is purely economic, not political. We have no military interests in this region. Our primary aim is to safeguard the interests of Japanese companies operating here. We hope to be regarded as an economic partner," Toshihiro said.

Earlier, a representative of the Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that Japan will continue to regard Russia as an aggressor state, but the close ties between Moscow and Central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan, will not affect Tokyo’s relations with the region.