In his lecture, the IICA Director presented the audience with a contemporary vision of the processes underway in Central Asia, with particular attention to the transformation of regional cooperation in recent years and to the emergence of a new model of engagement — one grounded in trust, shared responsibility, and the search for joint solutions.

Particular emphasis was placed on the development of the "Central Asia +" format, which today connects the region with the world's leading partners. It was noted that Japan was the first to put forward the initiative for this mechanism back in 2004, and that the first "Central Asia–Japan" Summit, held in December 2025, took cooperation to a qualitatively new level.

Building on the outcomes of the first summit, Javlon Vakhabov spoke in detail about the initiatives put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on further deepening cooperation between the states of the region and Japan — including the holding of the first Central Asia–Japan Think Tank Forum in Tashkent.

The lecture was followed by a substantive discussion, during which the audience at Hokkaido University expressed interest in the impact of current geopolitical processes on the development of Central Asia, the strengthening of regional identity, prospects for expanding trade and investment cooperation between Japan and the countries of the region, and the development of transport corridors through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hokkaido University is one of Japan's leading research universities and is ranked 173rd in the QS World University Rankings 2026.

The Slavic-Eurasian Research Center (SRC), based at the university since 1955, is one of the world's leading academic centers for the study of Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other countries of Eurasia