With this meeting and with the new investments made in Ceará, it is possible that the state is aiming at a partnership with Japan, since the region exported around US$ 9,3 million to the country

The governor of Ceará, Izolda Cela, met, on the afternoon of last Thursday, 6th, at the Palácio da Abolição, with the consul general of Japan in Recife, Hiroaki Sano. This was the first visit by the Japanese diplomat to the Ceará Government since he took over the Consulate in 2020 and the fact is being seen as a possible meeting for future business, or even a possible interest in investments by Japan.

The Consul General of Japan was accompanied by a professor at the State University of Ceará (Uece), in the area of ​​Japanese language, and by the president of the Center for Culture and Japanese Language, Laura Tey Iwakami. On the part of the Government of Ceará, the Executive Secretary for Regionalization and Modernization, Célio Fernando Bezerra Melo, and also the Executive Advisor for International Affairs, Felipe Barros Leal Rocha, participated.

During the meeting, Governor Izolda Cela spoke about the investments that the State of Ceará has been making in strategic areas such as clean energy, through the development of projects related to green hydrogen and education. She also highlighted the expansion of trade relations with Japan. “In 2021 alone, exports to Japan grew by 52%. And we want to expand these partnerships, attracting new investments”.

The governor also said that Ceará is always available for new partnerships, cooperation and investments, mainly in the areas of education, through exchanges and the attraction of companies in the technology sector, which are a highlight of the Asian country.

Japan and Ceará, partnerships

In the year 2021, Ceará exported approximately US$ 9,3 million to Japan, which corresponds to a growth of 52% compared to the year 2020. The items that were exported to the Asian country were:

Carnauba wax and vegetable waxes, from the municipality of Eusébio and Itarema;

• vegetable juices and extracts;

• frozen lobsters;

• Rubber or plastic footwear;

• Ferro-silicon;

• cashew nut;

• acerola juice;

Leather shoes are the main products exported from Ceará to Japan.

On the other hand, in 2021, Ceará imported US$ 14 million in products from Japan, which refers to a slight increase of 1% compared to the year 2020. Among the imported items are:

• Solar cells in modules or panels;

• Looms for fabrics;

• Magnesian or chromium oxide refractory bricks;

Copper profiles were the main products that Ceará imported from Japan.