[Title] Tokyo Declaration of the Summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue
On December 20th 2025, the First Summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue was held in Tokyo and Prime Minister of Japan TAKAICHI Sanae, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr ZHAPAROV, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali RAHMON, President of Turkmenistan Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (hereinafter referred to as "the Leaders") expressed satisfaction with current levels of mutual cooperation and discussed its prospects as well as regional and international situations.
* Overview
Review of the cooperation between Japan and Central Asia
1. The Leaders highly appreciated the development of relations between Japan and five Central Asian countries over 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
2. The Leaders welcomed the invaluable role of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue ("CA+JAD"), which has contributed to maintaining and strengthening the partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation based on friendship and mutual trust established over the past 21 years.
3. Affirming the achievements of the ten previous Foreign Ministers' Meetings of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue, the Leaders commended Japan's role as a "catalyst" in promoting regional cooperation in the areas of human resource development, prevention of terrorism and violent extremism, drug problem, border control, agriculture, disaster risk reduction, water resources, and others, as well as peace and stability in the region.
4. The Leaders welcomed the broadening and deepening of "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue through its specialized mechanisms such as the Senior Officials Meetings (SOM), the Intellectual Dialogue (Tokyo Dialogue), and the Experts' Meetings in various fields.
5. The Leaders welcomed the Business Forums held in Astana in August 2024 and in Tokyo in December 2025 on the margins of the First Summit Meeting.
6. The Leaders affirmed the launch of the Economic and Energy Dialogue of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue in September 2023 and the convening of the Second Dialogue in September 2025, and welcomed its Joint Statement.
7. The Leaders concurred on the importance of promoting further cooperation between Japan and the Central Asian region to strengthen the economic relations and foster concrete and pragmatic collaboration.
* Direction for future cooperation between Japan and Central Asia
8. In light of the 21-year accumulated cooperative relations, the Leaders highly commended the outcome of the first Summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue.
9. Based on the cooperation that has been achieved so far, Japan launched the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue (CA+JAD) Tokyo Initiative for strengthening mutually-beneficial relations, under which the Leaders identified "Green and Resilience", "Connectivity", and "Human Resource Development" as the three priority areas. The Leaders of Central Asian countries welcomed Japan's initiative.
10. Japan expressed the intention to support the Central Asian countries, through the CA+JAD Tokyo Initiative, to advance and diversify their industries, including promoting development of business- related human resources, small and medium enterprises, local industries, by utilizing Japan's technology and knowledge including but not limited to Green Transformation (GX) and Digital Transformation (DX) technology, with support from Official Development Assistance (ODA), Japanese Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) and from multilateral development banks, as well as the private financial sector among others. The leaders concurred on further efforts for co-creation of mutually beneficial cooperation and promotion of specific concrete projects with the active involvement of Japan.
11. The Leaders appreciated Japan's constant support for the Central Asian countries in the areas of health and medical services to improve the public health and concurred on the improvement of health and medical related sectors.
12. The Leaders welcomed the workshop on the rule of law to support counterterrorism measures in Central Asian countries held in Japan in February 2025. The Leaders also welcomed Japan's proposal to hold the "Central Asia plus Japan Justice Ministers' Meeting" in Japan next year for exchanging views to enhance the rule of law.
13. Japan set a new target of business projects at total amount of 3 trillion Yen in 5 years in Central Asia. The Leaders of Central Asian countries welcomed this initiative.
* Three Priority Areas of Cooperation
I. Green and Resilience: Cooperation including new industry development and industrial upgrading consistent with climate change measures in Central Asia
14. The Leaders concurred on the importance of achieving economic growth, energy security, and decarbonization simultaneously, as well as aiming to carry out energy transitions towards net- zero/carbon neutrality through various pathways.
15. The Leaders welcomed the formulation of energy transition roadmaps toward the net-zero goal, and in this context, the Leaders concurred on exploring potential cooperation in energy infrastructure projects, including GX technology, and modernization of thermal power plants.
16. The Leaders welcomed the progress of the concrete cooperation in the environmental field, including climate change mitigation measures. The Leaders concurred on holding a ministerial - level meeting on the environmental issues between Japan and the Central Asian countries in the future. Furthermore, the Leaders also concurred on holding an inter-agency meeting on green economy and resilience.
17. The Leaders welcomed the progress of cooperation with Central Asian countries using the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) series for preparing more accurate and transparent reports of greenhouse gas emissions to be submitted within the framework of the Paris Agreement. 18. The Leaders welcomed the holding of Joint Committees and encouraged public-private cooperation for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) in JCM partner countries.
19. The Leaders concurred on promoting cooperation that contributes both to the strengthening of critical minerals supply chains, which are essential for the transition to clean energy, and to the economic resilience of Central Asia through mineral exploration and other activities.
20. The Leaders welcomed the progress in supporting disaster risk reduction and urban resilience in Central Asian countries. In this regard, the Leaders welcomed the implementation of the project "Enhancing Urban Resilience to Disaster Risk and Climate Change in Central Asia" and the realization of "the Project for Strengthening the System for Region-Wide Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia" with Japan's support in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
21. The Leaders, taking into account the seismic activity in the Central Asian region, concurred on the need to create preventive measures with seismic reinforcement, facilitate early warning system for the population, and unite the efforts of all countries in the region to ensure effective protection of citizens from the threat of earthquake and other natural disasters affected by climate change, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. In this regard, the Leaders welcomed technical assistance provided by the Japan–World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management.
22. In response to the global food security crisis, the Leaders concurred on promoting cooperation in building resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems, including conservation of plant genetic resources, improvement of farmland soil, and strengthening of agricultural and livestock value chains, and welcomed to strengthen the communication between Japan and Central Asian countries in this sector.
23. The Leaders discussed the possible cooperation in the areas of the IT industry and advanced technologies and concurred on cooperating for inter-governmental and inter-company coordination in diverse areas such as GX and enhancement of various industries through advanced technologies such as but not limited to DX.
II. Connectivity: Enhancing logistics, transportation, and people to people exchanges within and beyond Central Asia, and addressing social challenges with various technologies and DX
24. The Leaders concurred that it is important for Central Asia, blessed with abundant resources and energy sources, to expand its access to international markets with a view to enhancing global economic resilience.
25. The leaders welcomed Japan's development cooperation efforts which aim to maximize collective impact of development by using Official Development Assistance (ODA) more strategically as a catalyst to involve various public and private actors. In this regard, the leaders concurred on promoting and expanding cooperation, regarding "Trans-Caspian International Transport Route" to enhance connectivity within the region, and from Central Asia to the world.
26 In this context, the Leaders welcomed the implementation of training for customs officials in collaboration with the World Customs Organization (WCO).
27. The Leaders welcomed the progress in the cooperation toward launching direct flights between Japan and Central Asia.
28. The Leaders expressed interest for expanded cooperation in the field of sustainable tourism development and cultural exchanges including participation in regional cultural and sports events such as the World Nomad Games.
29. The Leaders welcomed the expansion of people-to-people exchanges, including inter-municipal, inter-parliamentary, academic exchanges, various study and training programs, and youth and grass- roots exchanges through Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and Senior Volunteers.
30. The Leaders noted the growing relevance and potential of inter-parliamentary exchanges as an effective instrument of global interaction in ensuring peace, security, and stability, and noted the initiative and efforts of Turkmenistan to establish a forum for inter-parliamentary interaction between Central Asian states and Japan. In this context, the Leaders also welcomed the efforts and contribution of the Japan Central Asian Countries Parliamentary Friendship League in Japan.
31. The Leaders concurred on working together to develop and support governance and ecosystem for safe, secure, and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) aimed at harnessing its potential to achieve sustainable economic growth and to address social challenges. To this end, they welcomed the launch of the Central Asia-Japan Partnership for AI Cooperation.
32. The leaders welcomed the discussions at the "Digital Connectivity Seminar for Central Asia and the Caucasus" held in November 2025, which explored the potential of digital connectivity to contribute to regional stability and development through the enhancement and deployment of digital infrastructure and digital solutions, and expressed hope for continued dialogue and cooperation with partner countries.
III. Human Resource Development: Prospering with Empowered Human Resources through the Partnership between Japan and Central Asia
33. The Leaders appreciated the outcomes of existing human resources-related programs for various sectors, such as through the Japan Centers for Human Resource Development, Projects for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS), JISPA (Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia), ADB- JSP (ADB-Japan Scholarship Program), and other relevant organizations drawing on Japan's experiences. The Leaders expressed hope for further development of public service officers and business professionals through these programs.
34. The Leaders concurred on the collaboration on the "One Village, One Product (OVOP)" movement, which also contributes to women's empowerment and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS).
35. The Leaders welcomed the achievements of projects for industrial personnel, including those from small and medium enterprises, and for students on exchange programs to function as the bridge between Japan and Central Asia.
36. The Leaders concurred on promoting cooperation to strengthen health systems. In this context, the Leaders concurred on exploring collaboration including through the "UHC Knowledge Hub" to accelerate the promotion of universal health coverage (UHC).
37. In order to realize the above-mentioned initiatives, the Leaders affirmed the importance of strengthening business relations between Japan and Central Asian countries, concurring on making efforts to create business environment conducive to foreign direct investment.
38. The Leaders concurred on the cooperation to nurture human resources who can serve as a bridge between Japan and Central Asia through the acceptance of international human resources.
39. The Leaders welcomed development of scholarship programs for training Central Asian citizens in Japanese universities.
* Cooperation on the global stage
Regional Issues
40. The Leaders shared the recognition on the growing geopolitical importance of the Central Asian region, considering the current difficult geopolitical situations in the world, and stressed the importance of mutual cooperation as partners in maintaining and strengthening the free and open international order based on the rule of law.
41. The Leaders highly appreciated the role of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia in further deepening cooperation in the region, strengthening the atmosphere of friendship, trust and good-neighborliness and expressed their appreciation to Japan for its support of the efforts of the countries of the region. The Leaders underscored the importance of the Consultative Meetings as a key platform for developing coordinated approaches and advancing joint initiatives.
42. The Leaders affirmed the importance of upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations (UN), including respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all countries, prohibition of the threat or use of force, and protection and strengthening human dignity. The Leaders concurred on the need for UN Security Council reform.
43. As it is impossible to ensure not only regional, but also global security without established peace in Afghanistan, the Leaders confirmed their interest in early and long-term stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan.
44. The Leaders expressed their readiness to continue to assist the people of Afghanistan, together with the international community. The Leaders noted that the integration of Afghanistan into regional processes constitutes an important factor for the sustainable development of all countries of the region.
45. The leaders of Japan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan welcomed that the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan signed the Convention on Border Issues on March 13 2025 and commended the political will of the leaders of the two countries and the efforts of their governments to bring the long-standing border delimitation negotiations to a successful conclusion and the signing of this historic treaty through constructive dialogue between the two governments.
46. The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, while emphasizing the necessity of full implementation thereof, and stressed the importance of resolving humanitarian issues of concern to the international community, including the abductions issue.
* Global Issues
47. Regarding global issues such as environmental issues and human rights, the Leaders concurred on cooperating in the UN and other forums under the concept of the human security to achieve SDGs.
48. The Leaders affirmed further strengthening ties between Japan and Central Asia as partners in dialogue and cooperation in the field of law and justice to support efforts to further promote the rule of law in Japan and Central Asian countries.
49. The Leaders expressed their commitment to achievement of a world without nuclear weapons, concurring on continuing cooperation for maintaining and strengthening the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and the foundation for the pursuit of peaceful uses of nuclear technology. The Leaders also affirmed the importance of ensuring the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and safeguards (3S).
50. The Leaders affirmed the importance of ensuring food, energy, and logistics security, and the importance of transparent and fair development finance.
51. Regarding economic security, the Leaders recognized that transparency, diversification, security, sustainability, and trustworthiness and reliability are essential principles on which to build and strengthen resilient supply-chain networks. The Leaders reaffirmed the importance of strengthening coordination and cooperation in addressing non-market policies and practices as well as economic coercion in order to strengthen global economic resilience in the multilateral trading system.
* Conclusion
52. The Leaders highly appreciated Japan's hosting the Summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue.
53. The Leaders concurred that the host country thereafter will be in the English alphabetical order starting with Kazakhstan and that the date of the second Summit will be agreed on through diplomatic channels.