TOKYO: The United Arab Emirates and Japan have concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, officials said, marking a major step toward a bilateral trade and investment pact that both governments described as Japan’s first such arrangement with an Arab country. The announcement came during an official UAE visit to Japan and follows negotiations that were launched in September 2024. The two sides said they will continue working toward the formal signing of the agreement.
The conclusion was confirmed during meetings in Tokyo involving Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology and special envoy to Japan, and Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s minister of foreign trade. They met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, according to official statements released by both sides. Japanese and UAE officials characterized the deal as a milestone in the two countries’ longstanding relationship.
Officials said the CEPA is designed to deepen trade and investment ties and expand private sector cooperation in areas highlighted by both governments, including advanced technology, logistics, cybersecurity, healthcare and education. The UAE said the agreement also aims to support new partnerships in research and development, innovation, smart mobility, energy security, financial services and digital transformation. Abu Dhabi also linked the pact to a comprehensive strategic partnership framework the two countries signed in 2022.
Trade and sector scope
UAE officials pointed to recent growth in commercial links, saying non-oil trade between the two countries reached $20.3 billion in 2025, a 16.7% increase from 2024. The UAE also said it is Japan’s top trading partner across the Middle East and Africa, accounting for 39% of Japan’s total trade with Arab and African countries. The UAE described the CEPA as a platform intended to widen business-to-business ties and encourage investment flows between the two economies.
In public remarks carried by UAE state media, Al Jaber said the conclusion of negotiations reflects a shared commitment to strengthening economic and trade relations and to promoting innovation and industrial development. Al Zeyoudi said the talks produced positive outcomes with Japan, which he described as one of the world’s largest economies and a member of the Group of Seven, and said the agreement is intended to remove trade barriers and facilitate increased investment flows between the two countries.
Timeline and next steps
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides confirmed the conclusion of CEPA negotiations and noted that the launch of talks was announced by Japan’s prime minister and the UAE’s president in September 2024. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations during a separate courtesy call with Al Jaber, according to a summary released by the Prime Minister’s Office. Both governments said they will continue cooperating toward the signing of the agreement.
The UAE said its broader CEPA program is central to its foreign trade strategy, and that since the program’s launch in September 2021 it has concluded agreements with more than 35 high-growth economies. The UAE and Japan have not published the full text of their CEPA alongside the announcements, but both sides framed the conclusion of negotiations as the key step preceding signature. Officials did not provide a signing date or implementation timeline in the statements. – By Content Syndication Services.