For the last stop of her first official tour of Asia, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino arrived in the city of Tokyo, where today and tomorrow she will have an extensive agenda of working meetings with Japanese political authorities, business authorities and institutions, with a view to increasing trade, investments and bilateral cooperation.
The Foreign Minister arrived there joined by a delegation of Argentine businesspeople committed to seeing our country integrate with the rest of the world, comprised of:
1. Pablo Abbate, Vice President of Nuclear Management at INVAP (peaceful uses of nuclear energy).
2. Mariana Cortés, Founder and Director of Juana de Arco (textile industry).
3. David Craig, President of Multimar Maritime Group (logistics).
4. Mario Alejandro Croce, CEO of IMPSA (renewable energy).
5. Rodrigo Escudero, Manager of Public Affairs and Communications at Bridgestone (automotive spare parts).
6. Guillermina Esmoris, Founder of Yumba S.A (industrial resin for the production of musical instruments).
7. Ricardo Hara, Co-founder and Executive Director of Biosophy (natural and organic food).
8. Ángel Machado, President of Canon Medical Systems Argentina (hospital equipment).
9. Carlos Marazzi, President of Yusen Logistics Argentina (logistics).
10. María Gabriela Pittis, President of Takeda Latin America (pharmaceutical industry).
11. Ezequiel Vallejos Meana, Director of Toyota Argentina.
12. Tomás Zymnis, Director of Devesa Azul Natural Beef (meat packing plant).
Early in the day, the Foreign Minister met with her counterpart, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, to whom she expressed Argentina's deep appreciation of the historic bilateral relationship with Japan, based on shared international values and principles. She also said that “Argentina will take a very active role in the defence of freedom, as a necessary condition for each person to be able to make their own decisions. We will uphold these principles in international fora and promote strategic partnerships with all liberal democracies”.
Mondino affirmed that Japan is an important partner for Argentina and that “we consider it a strategic global ally in energy transition, critical minerals and the development of the hydrogen derivatives economy. Our country has the human and natural resources to participate in the international supply chain. We invite Japanese companies to participate in projects in the energy sector, particularly in gas and renewable energy.”
In addition, the Minister pointed out that Argentina expects Japan to soon enable exports of beef from the entire Argentine territory to the Japanese market and added that the priority of Argentina's foreign policy is to strengthen relationships to increase trade and attract investment.
The Foreign Ministers agreed on the importance of the 5th Mercosur-Japan Dialogue to be held on 8 April, as a way of advancing towards a potential future agreement.
Likewise, Mondino stressed that Argentina has begun the accession process to become a member of the OECD, and both officials expressed their desire to meet again in May at the OECD’s Ministerial Council.
The Argentine Foreign Minister thanked for Japan’s traditional cooperation through the implementation and development of the projects “PREVENIR - SATREPS,” “KAIZEN TANGO” and “OVOP” (One Village, One Product).
At the end of the meeting, the Foreign Minister delivered to her Japanese counterpart a personal invitation from President Javier Milei to Prime Minister Kishida for him to visit Argentina in November 2024.
Minister Mondino and the delegation of Argentine businesspeople were received by the President of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Norihiko Ishiguro. Both authorities underscored the long-standing history of JETRO’s office in Argentina, based in Buenos Aires, which over the years has contributed to identifying trade opportunities and to boosting investments by Japanese companies in Argentina.
The Foreign Minister explained that Argentina is undergoing a process of economic transformation focused on market incentives, free market and integration into the world economy. She stated: “We believe that this new business environment will promote foreign investments, so we will become a reliable partner in order for companies to be able to do their job: produce, invest, create quality jobs and, mainly, export,” and then added: “We want to continue collaborating with JETRO so that more Japanese companies engage in productive projects in our country.”
JETRO is an independent governmental organization of Japan, founded in 1958 to promote and advance international trade and Japanese investments. In 1962, the organization established its office in the city of Buenos Aires, where it coordinates projects with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Later, joined by the business delegation, the Foreign Minister met with the Head of the Office in Asia of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Hideharu Tanaka. During the meeting, both officials highlighted the productive relationship between Argentina and the IDB, as well as the potential for further collaboration. Projects on the agenda include the implementation of a one-stop shop for investments in order to streamline and digitize procedures, and the integration of Argentina TradeNet Platform with the IDB’s “ConnectAmericas” platform, which is used by over two hundred fifty thousand companies from across Latin America.
Mondino announced that Argentina will host two major IDB events this year: the IDB Lab Forum, which brings together startups, investors, and the main actors in the innovation ecosystem, and Outsource2LAC, the leading high-level Forum in our region, dedicated to the global digital services sector.
Furthermore, considering that the IDB and Japan work together in support programmes for startups and fund technical cooperation projects on lithium, the Foreign Minister urged an expansion of this collaboration to projects in Argentina, related to energy transition and the growth of startups in our country, which is a regional leader in both sectors.
