Japan's achievements to date
(1) Immediately after the countries of Central Asia became independent, Japan started to provide assistance over a broad range of areas, ranging from education, health, and infrastructure development for roads, airports, electrical generating stations to capacity building. Total assistance between then and Fiscal Year 2005 has come to some 280 billion yen (approximately 2.5 billion US dollars). To put this into a broader comparative perspective, Japanese ODA comprises roughly 30% of all the ODA given to Central Asia by the member countries of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD. Economic relations have also progressed significantly and the total trade figures now stand at seven times what they were 15 years ago.
(2) Japan's various efforts were presented for the first time in a comprehensive manner as the "Diplomacy to the Silk Road Region" by then Prime Minister Hashimoto in 1997. This policy framework aimed to promote, basically on a bilateral track, political dialogue, economic cooperation and cooperation for peace.
(3) The next step which Japan took is the initiative of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue. This initiative was launched in August 2004 at the Foreign Minister level against the background of the heightening of the strategic importance of Central Asia after 9.11. Through the "Silk Road Diplomacy", Japan has endeavored to cultivate bilateral relations with each of the countries of Central Asia. The "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue should be considered as a multilateral framework based on the foundations laid in these bilateral relationships.