New era in Central Asia–Japan relations: CA+JAD Tokyo Summit [OPINION]

By Ahmet Saglam

The first leaders-level summit held within the framework of the
“Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue Summit (Central Asia plus Japan
Dialogue – CA+JAD) took place in Tokyo on December 20, 2025. This
summit represents an important turning point in terms of elevating
the institutional framework of relations between Japan and the
Central Asian states to the level of heads of state.

Hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the summit was
attended by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart
Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President
of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of
Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President of the Republic
of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Japan became the
first country to initiate a regular dialogue mechanism with the
Central Asian countries in the “Central Asia + 1” format. In this
context, the first meeting at the foreign ministers’ level was held
in Astana in 2004 under the name “Central Asia + Japan Dialogue,”
and this format was maintained at the ministerial level for many
years. The Tokyo Summit held in December 2025 represents a
structural transformation by elevating this process to the level of
heads of state.

Within the scope of the summit, numerous bilateral cooperation
documents were signed between Japan and the Central Asian countries
with the participation of public and private sector actors. These
documents cover a broad range of areas, including political
dialogue, economy and trade, energy, infrastructure, agriculture,
environment, digitalization, education, health, science, artificial
intelligence and technology, as well as disaster management. The
signed documents demonstrate that Japan is pursuing a
multidimensional and cross-sectoral strategy toward Central
Asia.

When the agreements signed between Japan and the participating
countries are evaluated on a country-by-country basis: Between
Kazakhstan and Japan, cooperation documents were signed in the
fields of trade and economy, energy (including nuclear),
environment, agriculture, transportation, digitalization,
education, and science; energy, nuclear technology, and industrial
investments stood out in particular.

The agreements between Kyrgyzstan and Japan focused on the
prevention of double taxation, energy infrastructure, health,
education, disaster management, and space technologies;
infrastructure projects and the development of human capital
emerged as priority areas.

The documents signed with Uzbekistan covered strategic
partnership, renewable energy, health, agriculture, water
management, digitalization, education, and industry; energy,
health, and higher education projects came to the fore.

Cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan concentrated on
investment protection, energy infrastructure, agriculture,
transportation, satellite and climate monitoring technologies, and
education; electricity infrastructure as well as disaster and
climate monitoring projects became particularly prominent.

The agreements signed between Turkmenistan and Japan covered
energy, petrochemicals, transportation, banking, digital
technologies and higher education; natural gas and petrochemical
projects constituted the main determining areas.

Beyond these bilateral cooperation areas, one of the most
important regional outcomes of the summit was the announcement by
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of the “Central Asia + Japan
Tokyo Initiative.” When evaluated in the context of the Central
Asian countries, this initiative can be considered an important
step in diversifying the industrial development of Central Asian
countries through Japan’s technological and institutional
support.

In recent years, China’s emergence as a central actor in the
industrial development of Central Asia has come to the forefront as
a factor increasing the region’s external economic dependencies. In
this context, industrial cooperation projects to be developed
between Japan and the Central Asian states carry the potential to
reduce structural dependence on China and contribute to a more
balanced regional power structure, particularly in the industrial
sphere.

Another strategic balancing element that Japan has brought to
the region through this summit is Japan’s emergence as an
alternative partner, alongside the United States and China, in the
process of evaluating critical minerals. This situation creates a
new area of diversification and negotiation for Central Asia in
terms of critical minerals and can be considered an important
turning point for the region. Indeed, the Central Asian countries
participating in the summit clearly expressed their satisfaction
with the cooperation goals in areas such as critical minerals,
particularly within the framework of the “Central Asia + Japan
Tokyo Initiative.”

Another element that left its mark on the summit was the
increased diplomatic-level visibility of the Uyghur Turkic language
and Uzbek Turkic language.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev was welcomed at the
airport in Japan by Japan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
Arfiya Eri, who is of Uyghur origin and Uzbek descent. According to
the footage retweeted from Arfiya Eri’s social media account,
President Mirziyoyev was seen being greeted in the Uyghur Turkic
language by Deputy Foreign Minister Arfiya Eri. Mirziyoyev’s
understanding of this greeting and engaging in a warm conversation
with Arfiya Eri strengthened the symbolic dimension of the summit.
Furthermore, when examining the title of the footage retweeted on
Arfiya Eri’s social media account, it was observed that President
Mirziyoyev said to Deputy Foreign Minister Arfiya Eri, “I Am Proud
of You.”

In recent years, it has been observed that Arfiya Eri, a
politician of Uyghur origin and Uzbek descent who has become
prominent in Japanese politics, has assumed a bridge role at both
symbolic and practical levels in relations between Japan and the
Turkic-Islamic world, and that this position has been increasingly
reinforced.