ZAGREB, February 22, 2018 - Japan wishes to draw closer to Croatia because, even after 25 years of diplomatic relations, Japan is not sufficiently recognisable in Croatia, Japanese Ambassador Keiji Takiguchi said on Wednesday.
Japan is the third country in the world with regard to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but it is only Croatia's 42nd trade partner. The two countries do not have any agreement on avoiding double taxation, official data indicates.
A quarter of a century of diplomatic relations will be marked in March with a series of events aimed at bringing this Far East country's culture closer to Croatia.
In an effort to improve that situation, it is essential to inform Croatians more about Japan and its culture, Ambassador Takiguchi said. The problem isn't only on the Croatian side but also on the Japanese side. Tuna exports are a success story, however, other matters aren't as successful, he added.
Croatia's former ambassador to Japan, Drago Štambuk, said that significant improvement had been achieved in tourism, however, cooperation between companies hadn't followed. "I sent some business people to Croatia but they returned without having completed the job," Štambuk said.
Takiguchi underscored that one of the problems was that Croatia's supply did not meet the Japanese demand, which had resulted in the business of exporting wine and soy falling through because Croatian producers could not supply the quantities required. I believe that Croatia has a lot of good export products, however, many Japanese companies don't know about them and that is why it is essential to attract their attention, Takiguchi said.
The situation is similar with investments in Croatia, the ambassador said, adding that in the 1990s and 2000s, Japanese companies had invested in those countries that joined the EU before Croatia. However, more than 20 years have gone by and there are opportunities for investments in new countries, he underscored.
The festivities marking 25 years of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Japan will be launched in the week from 3 to 11 March during which Japanese cuisine, tea drinking, making ikebana, haiku poetry and information on Japanese tourism, science and technology will be presented.
At the end of June, a Japanese coast guard training ship will visit Split, and at the end of September, Japan will be the partner country at the Varaždin Baroque Evenings festival. In October, Japan Day is to take place at Zagreb's Mimara Museum.
The Japanese Embassy has designed a special symbol to celebrate the anniversary of diplomatic relations - a heart of red and white squares in a blue circle. We would like Japan to be in the hearts of Croatians, Ambassador Takiguchi said.
