Japan hails Belarus’ IT sector, seeks closer cooperation

At the meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Japan Sergei Rakhmanov, CEO of Rakuten, Inc, Director of the Japanese Association of New Economy Hiroshi Mikitani praised the level of information technology in Belarus and expressed interest in discussing possible cooperation areas, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hiroshi Mikitani took note of his successful visit to Belarus in November 2014 and informed the Belarusian diplomat on rapidly developing cooperation with Belarus in the area of information technology.

The meeting was held as part of Rakuten’s official event, which was also attended by representatives of the parliament and government of Japan, heads of big Japanese corporations and leading mass media.

The Belarusian Ambassador also held meetings with heads of the companies making part of Rakuten, Inc. as well as other IT companies that were present at the event. The diplomat handed out invitations to a seminar-presentation of the High-Tech Park of Belarus in Tokyo scheduled for May 2016. The presentation will be held in cooperation with the Japan External Trade Organization.

Rakuten is a Japanese electronic commerce and Internet company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company unites nearly 300 online stores in Japan and in one of the world’s biggest e-commerce platforms. Apart from online trade in goods and services, the company is engaged in financial activities, e-commerce in securities, provides Internet access, tourist services, supports professional sport teams, and so on.

In 2014 the company bought Belarus’ mobile app Viber.

Founded in June 2012, the Japanese Association of New Economy is a vibrantly developing organization, alongside with the Japan Business Association (Keidanren), the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.