Ammon News - Japan has welcomed Jordan's decision to participate in the "Expo Osaka 2025," which will be held in Osaka, Japan, starting next April and will continue for six months.

Saburi Masataka, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)/ and Director of International Coordination, emphasized the importance of Jordan’s participation in the exhibition, which is one of the major economic events and will feature 160 countries this time.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Tuesday, Saburi indicated that the expo presents an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation between Jordan and Japan, as well as with other participating countries, highlighting the mutual interest in strengthening cooperation in information technology.

He also noted that Jordan has a young population with a high percentage of youth, whereas Japan has a low youth percentage. This disparity creates a chance to agree on implementing and establishing joint projects.

It is worth mentioning that "Expo Osaka," organized in Japan every five years since 1970, attracts millions of visitors who come to explore the pavilions and events organized by millions of participants, including companies, governments, and international organizations.

Saburi pointed out the need to expand economic cooperation between the two countries, especially since there are broad areas for collaboration and the trade exchange between them remains modest. He also mentioned that Japan’s exports to Jordan amount to $143.3 million, while Japanese imports from Jordan total $44.67 million.

He praised the enduring relationship between Jordan and Japan, which has reached a strategic level, noting the importance of the continuous royal visits by King Abdullah II to Japan and their role in enhancing cooperation.

Saburi affirmed Japan's commitment, particularly through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to support Jordan and the developmental projects it undertakes, acknowledging Japan’s awareness of the challenges in the region.

He also highlighted Japanese investments in various sectors in Jordan and discussed the challenges facing the Japanese economy and the measures the country is taking to address these challenges, noting that Japan’s economic growth rate is currently at 1 percent.

One of the significant challenges now is the decline in birth rates and the decreasing number of young people, with only 700,000 births last year and a population decrease of 830,000 compared to the previous year.

The government is working on supporting families, encouraging childbirth, and providing financial support, but there is still a trend towards not having children.

Saburi noted that the depreciation of the yen has impacted economic growth in Japan, pointing out that companies importing from abroad pay in dollars.

In response to a question, he mentioned that Japan’s unemployment rate is low, less than 2.6 percent, due to the decrease in the number of workers. Petra