The sides discussed prospects for advancing cooperation between research centers in Central Asia and Japan, as well as the organization of the first Central Asia + Japan Think Tank Forum.

Javlon Vakhabov commended the first "Central Asia + Japan" Summit, which marked an important step in the institutionalization of dialogue between the region and Japan and set out benchmarks for further engagement across a broad range of areas.

It was noted that the initiative put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to hold the first Central Asia–Japan Think Tank Forum is of key importance for strengthening ties among think tanks and will help develop concrete proposals ahead of the upcoming Central Asia–Japan Summit.

The IICA Director invited the leadership of the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center to take part in the forum, scheduled to be held autumn this year and devoted to issues of regional cooperation, the economy, connectivity, energy transformation, and human capital development.

For her part, Professor Yoko Aoshima expressed her interest in advancing cooperation with IICA. She noted that the Center she heads brings together leading Japanese specialists on Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and the Islamic world, providing a broad basis for expert engagement.

Following the meeting, the sides reaffirmed their mutual interest in the further development of research and expert cooperation and in the participation of Japanese scholars in the upcoming Think Tank Forum.

The Slavic-Eurasian Research Center of Hokkaido University, founded in 1953, is Japan's leading center for the study of the Slavic and Eurasian space, including Central Asia. The Center holds Asia's largest collection of academic literature on the field.