ITAR-TASS news agency
November 7

Since the beginning of the 1990s, Japan has invested 1,600m dollars in the economy of Uzbekisan. At present Japan intends to implement another six projects worth 750m dollars in this country, an official in the Uzbek Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations has told ITAR-TASS. The government of Uzbekistan issued a special resolution approving a list of the projects concerning the processing and transportation of hydrocarbons, the modernization of irrigation systems and public utilities and the reconstruction of the transport infrastructure.

In particular, Japan's Mitsubishi Company intends to participate in a project to utilize torch gases at the Kokdumalak gas field in Kashka-Darya region with an aggregate cost of 60m dollars.

Another project - worth 100m dollars - in Uzbekistan's oil and gas sector with the participation of the Japanese company Marubeni presupposes the optimization of the pipeline and gas transportation systems of the republic.

A 260m-dollar project provides for the reconstruction of the heat supply systems of Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara.

The other four projects, worth 373m dollars, envisage the reconstruction of the power system of Uzbekistan, telecommunications, and the development of education.

At present, 18 Japanese companies operate in Uzbekistan. Seven joint-venture enterprises and three enterprises with 100-per cent Japanese capital have been also registered in this country.

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