Toyota Tsusho`s Contribution to the Economic
Development in Kazakhstan
Jun Karube
President
Toyota Tsusho Corporation
President Nazarbayev, Minister Issekeshev, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I thank you for this opportunity to take part in this Fifth Astana Economic Forum.
Let me begin by expressing appreciation for the support from Kazakhstan after last year’s Great East
Japan Earthquake. We in Japan are truly grateful to the government and the people of this nation for that
support.
This is my first visit to Kazakhstan. But I am well aware of the impressive economic growth here in your
first two decades as an independent republic. Real economic growth of about eight percent a year has
positioned Kazakhstan as an economic leader in Eurasia. That economic vitality is on display in this
ultramodern capital city of Astana.
In my remarks, I will introduce my company. I will summarize our activity to date in this exciting and
promising nation. And I will discuss our plans for expanding our relationship with Kazakhstan. Toyota
Tsusho is a trading company that began operation in nineteen forty-eight. We contribute to economic
development in more than sixty nations through more than four hundred subsidiaries and affiliates. Our
annual trading volume is about seventy billion US dollars. And we employ about thirty-one thousand
people.
We are part of the Toyota Group. But automotive business is just part of our trading portfolio.
We handle a vast range of products and services, from foods and personal goods for individuals to energy
plants for national infrastructure. We are developing new ways of contributing to industrial progress in
our Global Twenty-Twenty Vision. That means tackling breakthrough ideas. And it means working hand
in hand with customers and partners in the spirit of co-creation. We are focusing on our crucial role as a
trading company in optimizing supply chains for purchasing and logistics in different industries. And we
are fostering new kinds of business in nations around the world to contribute to economic vitality. That
includes working to support advances in automotive transport. It also includes working to improve the
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living environment and to resolve global issues.
Here in Kazakhstan, you are making impressive progress in fulfilling your strategic vision for the year
two thousand twenty. Your progress is an inspiration for us as we tackle diverse initiatives in our Global
Twenty-Twenty Vision. We have followed your progress closely. And we take seriously the request that
President Nazarbayev conveyed when he visited Japan four years ago.
The president called on us to assist with the development efforts under way in Kazakhstan. Our chairman
visited your nation five years ago. And other executives from our company have visited each year since
then. Last year, your government bestowed the title of honorary consul on our vice chairman, Junzo
Shimizu. That symbolizes the growing ties between our company and your nation.
We highlighted our growing activity here by hosting a reception and exhibition in the city of Almaty in
two thousand nine. That was a valuable opportunity to introduce our operations and services and to
explore possibilities for new partnerships. Let me reiterate our appreciation to the government and to the
city of Almaty for supporting that event. Let me also reiterate our appreciation to all the numerous people
who attended the event and who shared valuable observations and suggestions.
We at Toyota Tsusho work consistently to contribute to social and economic development in each nation
and region where we operate. We also work consistently to help ensure a sound environment for future
generations. And we believe strongly in conducting business through locally based operations. We are
working in that same spirit here in Kazakhstan. Our activity in this nation focuses on the three themes of
economic development, environmental quality, and standards of living. That includes working
systematically to foster local industry in selected sectors, to protect the environment and conserve energy,
and to offer new lifestyle possibilities. Our business in this nation long centered on automobiles, on
industrial vehicles, and on components for those products. Now, we have positioned Kazakhstan as a
priority nation in our global strategy. And we are undertaking projects in a growing range of sectors.
In September two thousand ten, we signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding in Tokyo
with KazNex Invest of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies. Since then, we have inaugurated
several projects in cooperation with KazNext and in conformance with your national development
strategy.
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We have benefited from generous cooperation from numerous companies and agencies here. And I want
to introduce some of the fruits of that cooperation.
In the agriculture sector, we are undertaking feasibility studies with an eye to diversifying grain
production and expanding food-processing capabilities. In one study, we are examining the commercial
potential for growing rapeseed and extracting rapeseed oil. Meanwhile, expanding grain output depends
on access to fertilizer. So in the industrial plant sector, we are conducting a feasibility study or a nitrate
fertilizer plant.
Kazakhstan is rich in naturally occurring herbs of dietary and medicinal value. Last year, we conducted a
field survey and feasibility study here in regard to gathering and processing those herbs on a sustainable
basis. The findings were promising, and we will begin exports to Japan this year.
Of course, we also remain active in automotive components. We are conducting a feasibility study for a
possible joint venture with a private-sector partner here to produce batteries.
As a member of the Toyota Group, we have a strong commitment to supporting conscientious
manufacturing in every way possible. We will fulfill that commitment here in the best spirit of Japanese
manufacturing. That means doing everything possible to provide customers with raw materials, with
components, and with finished products that meet their highest expectations. And that is what we will be
doing in all the projects that we undertake in this nation.
Every project presents a unique set of challenges. We in Japan will draw on a full range of resources to
address those issues from a broad perspective. And we hope to enjoy the continuing support of the
government here in maximizing the value of our Kazakhstan projects.
In closing, let me reaffirm our deep appreciation for all the assistance that we have received here from
government agencies, from private-sector companies and from countless individuals.
We at Toyota Tsusho share your great expectations of this nation. And we are proud to be taking part in
fulfilling those expectations.
You have charted a sound path for development with your strategic vision for the year two thousand
twenty. Our projects here are steppingstones on that path.
We look forward to striding forward with you into the exciting future that lies in store for this great nation.
Thank you.
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