First Japanese Delegation visit Israel Since Palestinians Launched Warin September 2000

A Japanese business delegation visited Israel last week for the first time since the outbreak of the current Palestinian hostilities against Israel. The heads of the delegation said that the purpose of the visit was seeking business opportunities in local industry.
 
Delegation participants included the heads of information technology and semiconductor company NEC. The company was represented by Mr. Kango Saito. NEC has over 140,000 employees and a turnover of over $60 billion a year. Telephony services company NTT was represented by Dr. Hiroshi Miyabe and Dr. Keiichchiro Takahara. NTT has 205,000 employees and a sales turnover of over $110 billion and Nippon Keidanren (Japan Industrial Business Federation) Nippon Keidanren is regarded as Japan's most influential business organization.
 
Nippon Keidanren, led by director general Ryukoh Wada, comprises 1,306 companies, including 91 foreign ownership, 129 industrial associations and 47 regional employers' associations.
 
The head of the delegation, National Diet Member, Mr. Hosei Norota, gave Olmert an official invitation to visit Japan at the head of a business delegation, in order to expand bilateral economic and industrial cooperation. Economic Affairs attachי at the Embassy of Israel in Tokyo Mr. Noah Shani said Japanese and Israeli high-tech companies set up, annually, at least 60 new technological cooperation ventures. He added that Japan's industrial community was increasingly interested in R&D cooperation with Israeli companies.
 
Manufacturers Association managing director Mr.Yoram Blizovsky said in a press release that the delegation's visit indicated a true reappraisal of the Japanese business community about doing business with Israel. Belizovsky added that the visit by high ranking Japanese industrial figures was made possible by the relative calm in the Israeli security situation.
 
He predicted that the visit will result in $30 - $35 million worth of deals over the next three years. Israeli industrial exports to Japan, excluding polished diamonds, totaled $495m in January - November 2004, 29% more than in the corresponding period in 2003. Most exports comprised machinery, electrical equipment, optical devices and tools, chemicals products and food products.
 
Imports from Japan totaled $1.06b in January - November 2004, 42% more than in the corresponding period in 2003.
 
Most imports from Japan comprised vehicles, machinery and electrical equipment, chemicals products, plastics and rubber products, and optical devices and tools.