TEHRAN (Iran News) At the meeting held in Tehran, Hassanzadeh emphasized that despite the limitations imposed by international sanctions, Iran and Japan can still maintain and expand cooperation in areas unaffected by restrictions. “Japan has remarkable experience and advanced technologies in health and environmental sustainability,” he noted, suggesting collaboration in pharmaceuticals, hospital construction, and the food industry.

He added that ICCIMA has conducted detailed research on potential areas for bilateral expansion and is ready to deepen relations in these sectors.

The ICCIMA president also highlighted the potential for joint investment and export partnerships in food industries, aquaculture, and agricultural products, noting Iran’s expertise as a major producer of traditional Persian carpets. “Iranian handmade carpets, woven with fine wool, silk, and natural dyes, are world-renowned for their quality and durability,” he said. “Unfortunately, countries like Pakistan, Turkey, and India have been marketing imitation Persian carpets, but they lack the authenticity of Iranian craftsmanship. We are eager to cooperate with Japan in this industry.”

Hassanzadeh drew attention to Iranians’ long-standing trust in Japanese automotive technology, proposing joint ventures for the local production of auto parts. “Many of the so-called Japanese car parts in Iran are currently imported from other countries,” he remarked. “We can collaborate directly with Japan to ensure authenticity and quality.”

He also discussed Iran’s agricultural progress, especially in greenhouse farming, and pointed out that Iran needs advanced Japanese technology in both agriculture and medical equipment. “Iranian consumers have a strong confidence in Japanese-made products,” Hassanzadeh said.

Finally, he invited Japanese companies to participate in Iran’s planned Arvand River dredging project in Khuzestan Province, a waterway shared by Iran and Iraq, to improve navigation and trade logistics.

Ambassador Tsukada Tamaki welcomed these initiatives, calling the meeting “a positive sign” despite global political tensions. He noted recent political shifts in Tokyo, including changes in Japan’s prime minister and ministers of foreign affairs and economy, and said these leaders have a deeper understanding of Iran and the Middle East.

“Japan is interested in working with Iran in non-sanctioned sectors such as technology and human resources,” the ambassador stated. He acknowledged Iran’s regional leadership in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and human resource training, adding that Japan values these strengths.

Tamaki also extended an invitation for Iranian engineers and technology experts to work in Japan, noting the country’s need for skilled professionals in emerging tech industries. “We want to solve people’s problems through innovation rather than taxation,” he explained. “There are strong opportunities for Iranian engineers to contribute in Japan.”

Hossein Salahvarzi, President of the Iran-Japan Joint Chamber of Commerce, presented a report on the Iranian delegation’s recent visit to Expo Osaka, where Iranian representatives held meetings with several Japanese companies and associations.

Salahvarzi emphasized the positive image of Japan among Iranians and the chamber’s determination to focus on innovative sectors despite sanctions. “We aim to use Japan’s expertise in energy efficiency, clean energy, and sustainable development,” he said. “In healthcare, Japan’s medical equipment is highly advanced, while Iran’s pharmaceutical industry is strong. We propose a joint hospital project, particularly for children or patients with special medical needs.”

In another part of the meeting, Yamada, a representative of Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s oldest trading companies, discussed redefining the commercial framework for bilateral cooperation. Marubeni, which established its Iran branch 70 years ago and has operated in oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors, now seeks to design a new model for modern trade relations.

Yamada stressed the need for innovation in agricultural logistics and food production, highlighting the aging farmer population in Iran—where the average age is around 50—as a challenge to productivity and market competitiveness. He suggested Iran and Japan work together on agricultural logistics and youth engagement.

The Japanese representative also pointed out that Japan faces a shortage of engineers, while Iran has a large pool of skilled professionals—making mutual collaboration in information technology and engineering highly feasible.

Yamada further proposed the establishment of a joint Iran-Japan certification center for Persian carpets to verify authenticity, as counterfeit carpets continue to flood international markets under the label of “Persian rugs.”

Bahram Shakouri, Vice President of the Iran-Japan Joint Chamber and a mining entrepreneur, described the relationship between the two nations as “family-like and unbreakable.” He proposed creating an innovation center within ICCIMA for cooperation in artificial intelligence and digital marketing, to train Iranian managers in AI-driven commerce.

Highlighting Iran’s rich mineral reserves—ranking fifth globally—Shakouri mentioned significant resources of copper, gold, lithium, and decorative stones. “Nearly all mining machinery in Iran comes from Japanese brands and has an average lifespan of 20 years,” he explained. “We propose to renovate and repair 15,000 mining machines using original Japanese parts.”

He also emphasized the global shift toward environmental sustainability and carbon reduction, suggesting collaboration on green technologies. “Japan’s achievements in reducing carbon emissions can be adapted for Iran,” he said. “Such cooperation is not subject to sanctions and supports both environmental protection and technological advancement.”

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In the meeting, Mr. Aikawa said that it was his first visit to Kerman Province and thanked for great hospitality of the province, adding that his visit was aimed at studying the condition of foreign nationals and immigrants living in Kerman Province.

He added that over 1000 hygienic packages were to be distributed among the immigrants, and thanked officials of the province for cooperation for implementation of their program.

Aikawa went on to say that Japan is to have some programs in three drought provinces of Iran in collaboration with the international organizations, noting that to support the health of Iranian people, Japan donates 3 MRI machines that two of them will be donated to the towns of Kahnouj and Bam in Kerman Province.

He announced readiness to cooperate and support Afghan refugees in Iran who have problems and to this end, the embassy donates one ambulance adding that Japan had good cooperation with Iran during quake in the town of Bam and it had good cooperation in reconstruction of the town.

Aikawa further said people of Japan and Iran especially people of Kerman Province have many similarities but there is no drought in Japan and to this end, Japan is ready to help Kerman Province to fight against the drought.

He said that he saw a Chinese group of tourists in the hotel and reiterated that he would work for the presence of Japanese tourists in Kerman.  He noted that he would try to correct travel information to Kerman Province and called on Iran government to give Japan the information about the security in order to clear misunderstandings.

He said that during his stay in the province he was to visit Bam Citadel and Shahzadeh Garden of Mahan and would study the condition of the sites and security of them and will report it to his government to prepare the ground for the presence of Japanese tourists and expressed hope soon Japanese tourists would visit Kerman Province.

Aikawa went on to say that although Iran is under sanctions, some of Japanese companies are active in Iran and expressed hope the talks on renewal of the JCPOA would end successfully and the trade relation between Tehran and Tokyo would be restored. He reiterated that Japan has experienced many earthquakes and Iranian people and people of Kerman have had good cooperation in aiding japan.

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Speaking to ILNA, Bahram Shakouri said that currently Iran trades with China, Russia, Turkey, the UAE and Oman directly and trade with other countries is done through intermediary and there is no more direct trade with other states.

Touching upon the trade between Iran and Japan, Bahram Shakoori said that due to sanctions, direct trade between Iran and Japan has been almost zeroed,  adding that it seems the trade between the two countries is pursued unofficially and through the intermediary.

He went on to say that Japan government and Japanese traders are eager to broaden trade ties with Iran because their trade ties date back to almost one century ago and this increased interest and enthusiasm for broadening economic exchanges.

He then pointed to high trade volume between Japan and the U.S. and said that Japan and the U.S. have considerable joint investment and therefore it is natural that after the U.S. sanctions, the Japanese preferred to restrict their trade with Iran. He stated that the national interests of the Japanese force them not to have direct trade with Iran.

Shakoori reiterated that in recent days that Western countries have increased sanctions against Iran, Japan has not followed them and has tried to keep tits ties with Iran as before.

He went on to say that the Japanese are interested in joint investment with Iran and this country due to its progress in technology and innovation can be a good option for Iran for cooperation in the field of technology, noting that but sanction is one of the main hurdles in way of arrival of Japan’s investment to Iran.

On the imports of cars from Japan, he said that currently there is no chance for direct cooperation with Japanese and South Korean auto-makers and middlemen import Japanese and South Korean cars via the third party and Iran may face problem for providing the spare parts of those cars in the future.

He went on to say that Iran needs to revise its diplomacy and ties with the world because currently Iran has only direct trade with China, Russia, Turkey, the UAE and Oman directly and trade with other states are done through the third party country.

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Speaking to ILNA, Shakouri said, “Iran-Japan trade is very low, and it can be said that the volume of our trade exchanges with the country is currently almost zero.” He noted some part of Iran’s exports to Japan was oil which has been halted and the non-oil exports to Japan have not been over $38m and this figure means that Iran almost has no trade exchange with Tokyo.

The head of the Iran-Japan Joint Trade Committee added: “Recently, JETRO has prepared a package of cooperation with Iran and is interested in increasing relations, and this shows that the Japanese see the future positive because the Japanese want to hold B2B meetings to connect the industrial and mining units, and with the ongoing negotiations, these connections will be established.”

“If we can revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lift the sanctions, Japan can replace many other countries, even European ones, in our foreign trade because Japan is in high level in terms of innovation and technology and Japan can meet Iran’s needs related to the mining and mining industry as well as other fields,” he said. He went on to say that Japan is also a good destination for export of most of Iran’s products like dried fruits, fruit concentrate, handicraft, saffron, carpet, sea products like shrimp and caviar and many other agro products.

Shakouri added that in the field of tourism, Japan can be a good destination for Iranian tourists and Japanese are also interested in historic monuments and sites and therefore, in case of lifting sanctions, the trade exchange between the two states will increase.

He also pointed to the positive signs of this document for Iran and said that preparation of a package of cooperation with Iran in Japan is a very good sign and it indicates the Japanese believe that anti-Iran sanctions would be lifted. Shakouri went on to say that since Japanese companies have American partners and they have considerable trade with the U.S., they were cautious during sanctions and some part of Iran’s money has been frozen in Japan and in such a condition when JETRO prepares a package for cooperation it indicates that Japanese expect bright future for cooperation with Iran and this is a good news for Iranians that the talks will bear fruit.

Shakouri went on to say that when Iran wanted to use its frozen money in Japanese banks for imports of COVID vaccines, Iran’s Central Bank did not issue any required license, noting that in fact major part of the problem returns to sanctions and if the sanctions are removed, Iran should also return to the FATF to resolve the problem regarding money transfer.

He reiterated that if Iran’s Central Bank through cooperation with foreign ministry start talks with Japan for reaching an agreement, then Iran can purchase machineries and required equipment via the frozen assets in Japan.

Shakouri also reiterated that there is no sign of frozen asset in the document prepared by the JETRO because JETRO seeks trade of private sector and frozen money is not in the range of activities of this organization and the government should tackle it.

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The Iranian para athletes won historic 12 gold medals as well as 11 silvers and one bronze.

Iran sent 62 athletes to Tokyo in 10 sports.

The Persians finished 15th in 2016 with 24 medals after winning eight golds, nine silvers and seven bronzes.

About 4,400 competitors from more than 160 countries competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics before it was delayed by a year.

Gold medal winners:
Rouhollah Rostami – powerlifting
Vahid Nouri – judo
Mohammad Reza Kheirollahzade – judo
Amir Khosravani – long jump
Mahdi Olad – shot put
Hashemiyeh Motaghian – javelin throw
Sareh Javanmardi – shooting
Saeid Afrooz – javelin throw
Zahra Nemati – archery
Hamed Amiri – javelin throw
Asghar Azizi Aghdam – taekwondo
Iran sitting volleyball team

Silver medal winners:
Amir Jafari – powerlifting
Hamed Solhipour – powerlifting
Mansour Pourmirzaei – powerlifting
Ali Pirouj – javelin throw
Sadegh Beyt Sayah – javelin throw
Amanollah Papi – javelin throw
Alireza Mokhtari – shot put
Sajad Mohammadian – shot put
Mahdi Olad – discus throw
Ramezan Biabani – archery
Mahdi Pourrahnama – taekwondo

Bronze medal winner:
Saman Razi – powerlifting

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Female archer Zahra Nemati and male thrower Mohammad Arekhi carried Iran’s flag in the ceremony.

Iran has participated in the 2020 Paralympics with 62 athletes in 10 sports, Tehran Times correspondent Masoud Hossein reports from Tokyo.

It will be the nation’s smallest team since sending 40 to Sydney 2000.

The ceremony began at 8 p.m. local time at the National Stadium.

A record 4,403 athletes from 161 countries and regions, as well as a small refugee team, will take center stage through Sept. 5, in what the International Paralympic Committee said is a “remarkable achievement” given the difficulties posed by the global health crisis.

The ceremony opened with a performance titled ‘Para Airport,’ which told the story of a protagonist — a one-winged plane that has given up flying. But, inspired by the flight of other aircraft, the protagonist begins to feel the presence of her own ability to fly.

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In a Sunday meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tehran, Raisi stressed the importance of releasing Iran’s foreign exchange resources blocked in Tokyo , emphasizing, “The delay in the release of Iranian assets in the Japanese banks is not justifiable.”

“We expect Japan to act as a friend, particularly when it comes to international law,” Zarif said, referring to the illegal nature of the U.S. sanctions.

In another part of his remarks and in response to the top Japanese diplomat’s statements on the necessity of implementing Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as an international agreement, Raisi said, “Iran has been fulfilled all its obligations as per the JCPOA and it was the Americans who failed to fulfill their obligations and unilaterally left the international deal and extended sanctions” against Tehran.

He added that the Europeans signatories to the JCPOA – Britain, France and Germany – also followed suit with the U.S. and refrained from fulfilling their obligations under the deal, adding, “The Americans must answer to the world public opinion why they did not respect their JCPOA commitment and left the agreement.”

Raisi told the Japanese minister that Iran has no problem with negotiations, asking, “On what grounds U.S. sanctions against the Iranian nation must continue?”

Elsewhere in his talks, the Iranian president pointed to the recent developments in Afghanistan and hailed the efforts made by Japan and other countries in the region to help establish peace and stability in the war-ravaged country.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported and will support peace and stability in Afghanistan. We believe that the Afghans are the only ones who should be allowed to made decisions for their country,” Raisi stated.

He criticized the interference of foreign powers in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, saying that it only worsened the existing problems.

“The presence of Americans in the region, including Afghanistan, has not only failed to create security, but has given rise to threats. Today, after 20 years [of occupation], Americans are admitting that their presence in Afghanistan was wrong,” he said.

The Iranian president said there is no doubt that the U.S. would also own up to its mistake about its presence in other countries in the region and the Persian Gulf in the near future.

Raisi also said ensuring security of regional and international waters would be in the interest of all countries, emphasizing, “We consider insecurity in the region detrimental to international security.”

He emphasized that if power-seeking is formed in the world, it would not be in the interest of any nation and the region. The bullying attitude of the United States, he added, poses a threat to the independence, freedom and identity of nations and it is a necessity for countries to stem the malady.

The Japanese foreign minister, for his part, said his country has made efforts to establish peace and stability in the region, adding that Tokyo has always supported the JCPOA as an international agreement and believes that its revival is in the interest of all countries and can help solve problems through negotiations.

He expressed concern over the recent developments in Afghanistan.

Motegi said Tokyo supports diplomatic efforts to achieve peace, stability and tranquility in the region and its principled position is based on the settlement of issues through peaceful channels.

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Speaking during a webinar run by Iran’s National Paralympic Committee (NPC), Rezaei, who won gold medals in sitting volleyball at Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta 1996 as a player, said that they are going to send nine sports to the prestigious competition.

Iran will compete in athletics, archery, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, taekwondo, rowing, judo, shooting, and powerlifting at next year’s Paralympics.

“We are preparing for the Paralympic Games and will participate in the warm-up tournaments but we would rather take part in the high-level events,” Rezaei said.

“Two male taekwondo practitioners have so far won their place in the Games but there is a chance we send a female to Tokyo. In shooting, three female shooters have booked their place so far. We will also send a female rower to the Games,” he added.

“In archery, four male and one female will partake at the competition, and in Judo we are going to send two practitioners to Tokyo but it could be increased to three,” the Iran sitting volleyball head coach went on to say.

“Six powerlifters, as well as nine Para athletes, will be sent to Tokyo. Two sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball teams consisting of 24 athletes will partake in the Games,” Rezaei concluded.

About 4,400 competitors from more than 160 countries were due to head to the Japanese capital for the Games this summer before it was postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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In the meeting, Mr. Ikawa pointed to the significance of expanding friendly relations, announcing the interest of Japan government and people in expanding cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in different fields interested by both sides.

He added that the Iran-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group plays important role in expanding ties and identifying the new fields for bilateral cooperation.

He also expressed hope that the ties between both states would improve because of the efforts of political and parliamentary officials of the two countries.

Meanwhile Mr. Motefakker-Azad, for his part, said Majlis supports any move for boosting cooperation between both countries in all fields and voiced its readiness for helping to remove hurdles in way of boosting cooperation.

He also pointed to the role of ambassadors of the two countries in improving and easing the level of cooperation between Tehran and Tokyo and expressed hope that they would see the efforts to bear fruit for bolstering the ties.

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