MUSCAT -- A catalogue exhibition of Japanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be held at the Al Harthy Complex at Qurum from December 5 to 11, 2005. The event will be held in conjunction with the 'Oman-Japan Week' festival being organised by the Oman-Japan Friendship Association, in co-operation with the Japanese Embassy in Oman. A total of 100 small and medium companies from Japan are participating in the catalogue show, which will run from 10 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 7 pm.
A striking feature of this exhibition is that most of the companies participating in the exhibition are new to this area and are keenly interested in developing business relationship with Omani businessmen, with an eye on future joint venture projects. Participants in the exhibition are from various segments of manufacturing in Japan that include capital and consumer goods, auto parts, textiles and garments, chemical and pharmaceuticals to mention a few.
In addition, photo panels of Japan's architectural excellence will be displayed on the sidelines of the catalogue show. Video shows on 'Technology in Japan' will be continuously shown for viewers during the exhibition. Japan's trade relationship with the Sultanate has been excellent for years, with Japan importing large volumes of crude oil and gaseous hydrocarbons from Oman and exporting a large array of products to Oman such as electronics, textiles and automobiles.
Japan's trade with Oman during the year 2004 was worth $2,781.4 million. Trade up to August 2005 is already $2,460.9 million, indicating a huge surge in bilateral trade during whole period of 2005. JETRO has been associating with the Omani authorities for the promotion of trade between the two counties, by way of promoting Oman's exports to Japan for the past many years.
Special emphasis was given to export of food products, including confectioneries, agricultural products and seafood. Japanese companies are also involved in the infrastructure development of Oman in recent years.
JETRO is a Japanese government-related organisation that promotes mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world.
Backed by a network comprising JETRO headquarters in Tokyo, JETRO Osaka, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) and 36 branches throughout Japan and 74 overseas offices, JETRO helps Japanese enterprises, particularly small and medium enterprises, promote foreign direct investment in Japan, carry out economic research overseas and collect extensive information for dissemination to business circles, organise exhibitions and trade fairs and dispatch international trade and investment missions overseas.
"We hope that events like the Oman-Japan Week and the catalogue exhibitions will bring the people of Oman and Japan closer together and thereby increase friendship and cooperation, in addition to opening more opportunities for bilateral trade and investment," a statement issued by JETRO said.
© Oman Daily Observer 2005
