HIROSHIMA, August 11. /Dunyo IA/.  Within the framework of an official visit to Hiroshima Prefecture, diplomats from the Embassy of Uzbekistan held a series of meetings with the leadership of the region, Japanese companies and a professional football club, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

During the meeting with the Governor of the Prefecture, Mika Yokota, the parties noted the intensification of parliamentary, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between Uzbekistan and Hiroshima in recent years. Particular attention was paid to the further expansion of direct cooperation between Hiroshima and the Namangan Region.

Governor invited young citizens of Uzbekistan to participate in the Hiroshima Global Youth Forum and supported the development of ties between the prefecture's universities and higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan.

Furthermore, the exchange of experience between specialists in the preservation, restoration, and management of UNESCO world heritage sites was discussed. The parties expressed readiness to implement new joint initiatives in the fields of education, youth exchanges, culture, tourism and business.

During the meeting with the President of Chugoku Broadcasting, Yoshimi Miyasako, special program on historical and cultural ties between Uzbekistan and Hiroshima, broadcast in March this year, was highly praised for generating significant interest among local residents. The parties emphasized the importance of producing new media materials on the history, culture and tourism potential of Uzbekistan, as well as the historical ties between the peoples of the two nations.

Establishment of cooperation between the broadcasting companies of Hiroshima and the Namangan Region, organization of study tours for Japanese journalists to Uzbekistan, and the implementation of joint media projects in 2027 within the framework of the 35^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries were also discussed.

During the meeting with the President of “Satake” Corporation, Kazuhisa Matsumoto, the representatives of the Embassy familiarized themselves with the company's production facilities and advanced technologies. Parties discussed prospects for applying grain drying, storage, cleaning, and sorting technologies to the agricultural and food processing industries of Uzbekistan.

In particular, it was proposed to develop pilot projects for rice processing and storage in the Khorezm Region, as well as the sorting of mung beans exported to Japan using modern optical sorting systems.

The management of “Satake” Corporation expressed interest in studying the market of Uzbekistan and existing projects. The parties agreed to continue technical dialogue, formulate specific projects, and consider opportunities for cooperation in the fields of service and human resource training.

A separate meeting was held with the Executive Director of “Balcom” Co., Ltd., Akira Wada. The Japanese side presented information on the company's investment projects in Uzbekistan, as well as initiatives in the areas of training and service provision. In particular, cooperation with the “Ifoda Agro Kimyo Himoya” enterprise in the Namangan Region, professional training of young citizens of Uzbekistan in Japan, and the activities of “BalcomUz” were noted.

It was also noted that the “Uzbekistan Palace” national restaurant, which opened this year in Hiroshima, contributes to popularizing the culture and national cuisine of Uzbekistan in Japan. The parties discussed the possibility of attracting other Hiroshima-based companies to Uzbekistan by utilizing the experience of “Balcom”, expanding practical business ties with the Namangan Region, and implementing new projects in human resource training.

Furthermore, the representatives of the Embassy met with the President of the “Sanfrecce Hiroshima” professional football club, Masayoshi Kubo. During the talks, the prospects for expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and Japan in the field of sports, particularly football, were discussed.

The issues of establishing direct ties between “Neftchi” and “Sanfrecce Hiroshima” football clubs were discussed, including the training of young football players, as well as the exchange of experience between football academies and coaches. The Japanese side expressed interest in the initiative and stated that it would consider it jointly with the club officials responsible for sports and academic areas.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to organize online negotiations with the participation of representatives of both clubs and the Embassy to determine specific areas of cooperation.