The Embassy of Pakistan in Japan and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) jointly hosted the Pakistan Business Seminar 2025 at the Embassy of Pakistan in Tokyo today. The event brought together more than 50 participants from leading Japanese corporations, trading houses, financial institutions, and innovation-focused agencies.
The program commenced with welcome remarks by Mr. Abdul Hameed, Ambassador of Pakistan to Japan, who reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to building long-term, trust-based commercial partnerships with Japan. He highlighted improvements in safety, stability, and investor facilitation in Pakistan, while addressing Japanese concerns with openness and clarity. He emphasized that Pakistan seeks a partnership built on consistency, transparency, and a long-term alignment of economic interests.
Mr. Masatomo Itonaga, JETRO Karachi’s Country Representative, delivered a detailed briefing on current business conditions in Pakistan, including macroeconomic trends, sectoral growth drivers, policy reforms under IMF-supported programs, and the evolving landscape for Japanese investors. He also outlined Japan–Pakistan trade patterns and the presence of 68 Japanese companies operating in Pakistan across automotive, machinery, logistics, finance, food, and services.
Ms. Madiha Ali, Trade and Investment Counsellor, presented “Pakistan as Japan’s Next Growth Partner: Government Facilitation, Joint Ventures & New Market Opportunities.” Her presentation highlighted three sectors where Japan’s structural needs for the 2025–2035 period align strongly with Pakistan’s capabilities: food supply chains, digital and engineering services, and minerals. She outlined practical cooperation models—including co-development frameworks, midstream processing, and risk-diversification strategies—supported by dedicated facilitation platforms such as the Special Investment Facilitation Council, the Board of Investment, the Pakistan Single Window, and the Special Technology Zones Authority.
The seminar also featured a presentation by Ms. Zahra Dastgir, Community Welfare Attaché, on Pakistan’s human resource potential. She shared data on Pakistan’s demographic strengths, strong pool of qualified ICT engineers, and the growing pipeline of trained workers under the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) frameworks. She highlighted Pakistan’s strong ICT skill base, English proficiency, and high competency ratings as assessed through Japan’s i-Competency standards.
The event concluded with an interactive Q&A session and a networking high-tea, enabling direct engagement between Japanese companies and the Embassy’s economic team.
The Embassy noted that this seminar is part of a structured series of engagements leading up to the Pakistan–Japan Government–Business Joint Dialogue. Insights gathered today will inform Pakistan’s preparations and contribute to building practical, outcome-oriented cooperation with Japan in priority sectors.
