News
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry （METI） on June 12, 2012 held a briefing session on progresses made at the Fifth Japan-Russia Investment Forum.
At the forum, which was held in Kazan, Russia on June 6-7, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano gave a keynote speech.
Investment is growing between Japan and Russia, with trading houses shifting their attentions from trade to investment, he said.
However, Edano pointed out that Japanese private enterprises have concerns about investing in Russia.
The METI minister said he hopes that measures will be taken to address corruptions, that logistics-related administrative procedures will be faster and simplified and that public infrastructure will be developed.
In Russia, the Russian Railways has collected convey fees in addition to rail fares for several years to ensure safety when transporting cargoes on the Trans-Siberian Railway （TSR）.
Edano said this system has an adverse impact on costs for using the TSR.
When he demanded that Russia improve services and infrastructure, including discontinuing the collection of convey fees, the country indicated that it will think about it positively.
