Astana, Aug 25 (EFE) – Kazakhstan and Japan signed an agreement on Monday under which Tokyo will provide $7.4 million in medical assistance to victims of nuclear tests carried out over four decades at the Soviet Semipalatinsk test site in northeastern Kazakhstan.
The foreign ministers of both countries, Murat Nurtleu and Takeshi Iwaya, signed the agreement during Iwaya’s official visit to Kazakhstan.
“It is of great importance that the visit of the Japanese foreign minister coincides with the anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki catastrophe, and next year will mark the 35th anniversary of the test site’s closure,” Nurtleu said after the signing.
Joint call for nuclear disarmament
Both Kazakhstan and Japan, nations that have suffered the consequences of nuclear explosions, continue to call for the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons.
Expanding cooperation beyond aid
During his visit, the Japanese foreign minister also discussed with his Kazakh counterpart digitizing customs services along the Caspian Route, rare earth extraction, and the development of renewable energy.
According to official figures, trade between Kazakhstan and Japan reached $2 billion in 2024.
The two ministers said they aim to increase that figure through deeper cooperation in transportation, logistics, and rare earth mineral extraction and processing. EFE