At a Tokyo ceremony during Tourism Expo Japan 2026, officials from Tunisia and Japan discussed investment and renewable energy. An investment agreement was still nearing completion in late September and early October, with a bilateral business forum planned for December 2026.
At Tourism Expo Japan 2026 in Tokyo, Tunisian and Japanese officials discussed how to build commercial ties on seven decades of diplomatic relations. Investment protections, decarbonization and renewable energy were high on the agenda.
The next test is whether planned projects and business commitments lead to lasting cooperation. Reports from late September and early October described the investment agreement as nearing completion. It had not entered into force. The distinction matters.
Tunisian Ambassador Ahmed Shafra said the Japan International Cooperation Agency had funded more than 42 projects in agriculture, energy and disaster management. He also said 23 Japanese companies had committed to investing in Tunisia following recent economic reforms. Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs OZORA Koki gave a separate figure: approximately 30 Japanese companies operate in Tunisia and create 16,000 jobs.
Those figures refer to different things: investment commitments and companies already operating. They differ. At a September 30 meeting at FIPA-Tunisia, Japan's ambassador Jun Saito met agency officials and representatives of Tunisia's Ministry of Economy to prepare for a business forum planned for December 2026, according to La Presse de Tunisie. Japan proposed renewable energy, automotive components and information technology as forum themes. It also encouraged Tunisia to present itself as an investment base for European and African markets.
Amira Klaï, Director General for International Investment Agreements and Disputes at Tunisia's Ministry of Economy and Planning, said the bilateral investment agreement was nearing completion. She said it would strengthen guarantees for investors and operators in both countries. That describes the state of negotiations, not the agreement's entry into force, as Le Temps reported.
Shafra called the upcoming Tunisia-Japan Business Forum a chance to build commercial links. He also pointed to cooperation on decarbonization and renewable energy. Tunisia wants to develop work with Japan on artificial intelligence, resilient agriculture, and the blue and green economies. The agenda is broad. These areas overlap with a proposed UNIDO country partnership programme for Tunisia covering 2026-2030. The proposal lists small and medium-sized enterprise competitiveness, innovation and digital transformation, the energy transition and decarbonization, the circular economy, and skills development as priorities. Kapitalis has also reported that Japan was UNIDO's largest government donor of voluntary funding in 2025.
UNIDO's proposed programme is expected to align with Tunisia's 2026-2030 Development Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2027-2031. The Ministry of Economy and Planning, FIPA-Tunisia and UNIDO are part of a wider effort to connect investment promotion with industrial capacity, technology transfer and skills. The goal goes beyond announcing individual projects.
Libya's effort to build Malaysian trade links and halal expertise offers a separate example of North African outreach to Asia, as an earlier Maghreb Insider report detailed.
Shafra voiced Tunisia's support for a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian cause. He also expressed solidarity with Gulf countries and Jordan. He praised the Tunisian community in Japan for contributing to the Japanese economy and urged its members to keep acting as a bridge between the countries.
OZORA Koki recalled Tunisia's hosting of the 2022 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8). He cited mutual respect during FIFA World Cup qualifying matches as a sign of friendship between the countries. MINORIKAWA Nobuhide, President of the Japan-Tunisia Parliamentary Friendship League, said interest in Tunisia grew after its pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025 presented mosaic art and jasmine. He said he intended to visit Tunisia the following year. The ceremony ended with a fashion show of traditional Tunisian costumes, Tunisian music and traditional Japanese dance.
The anniversary has put a clear economic agenda on the table. A ceremony is not implementation. The partnership will be judged by whether investment commitments, a completed agreement and proposed areas of cooperation lead to lasting activity between the two countries.
