President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received the president of the University of Tsukuba (Japan), Nagata Kyosuke. The guest expressed his deep appreciation for the time, and stressed that he was delighted to have yet another meeting with the Turkmen leader whose constructive initiatives are supported worldwide, including Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. This was confirmed during mutual high-level visits. President of one of the leading universities of the Land of the Rising Sun also stated that, along the large-scale state activity, the head of Turkmenistan conducts significant development and research activities, and makes a personal contribution to the establishment of humanitarian cooperation. As is known, during the working visit to Japan in March 2015, for promoting international academic program for mutual exchange in the field of education and research, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tsukuba. The head of state thanked the guest for his kind words and conveyed his best wishes to the Emperor and Prime Minister of Japan; and stated with satisfaction the high level of the recently established constructive Turkmenistan–Japan dialog that is developing progressively in all important areas including science and education, improvement of which directly serves the key development goals of the two friendly countries. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed his conviction that the current visit of the head of Japan’s biggest university will give a strong impetus to the development of interstate cooperation in the field of science and education, and stated that agreements reached at the highest level produce favorable conditions for establishing a close partnership in the sphere of personnel training. In 2013, for instance, the Agreement on Academic Exchange and Cooperation was signed between the University of Tsukuba and the D.Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, and not only did this promote interuniversity cooperation, but also contributed to the strengthening of relations between both countries. Another important step towards deepening the Turkmenistan–Japan partnership in science and education is the intensification of work of Oguz Khan University of Engineering Technologies that was inaugurated last year in Ashgabat. It is worth mentioning that within the framework of developing the traditionally friendly dialog with Japan, great emphasis is placed on studying Japanese, and it is taught not only at language-oriented universities, but also in technical, economic and other higher educational institutions, and even certain high schools. Dwelling on the emerging wide opportunities for the further joint work on implementing nanotechnology and cutting-edge scientific and technical advancements, and studying the progressive experience of Japanese healthcare, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his guest discussed the issues pertaining to the establishment of ties between the reputable scientific and educational centers of Japan and Turkmenistan – the Oguz Khan University of Engineering Technologies; and the modern Technopark, a major complex comprising several research centers in Ashgabat. Nagata Kyosuke specifically stressed that Turkmenistan’s entering the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials during the recent session of this organization became an important step for a wider high-tech cooperation. Such cooperation is quite important due to the increase in high-tech manufacturing and readiness of Japan’s business circles to expand investment and technology partnership with Turkmenistan. Projects, already implemented and currently underway, serve as an evidence to that. In particular, the mineral fertilizer – ammonia and urea – production plants complex was commissioned in 2014 in Mary. It was designed, equipped and technically guided by the Japanese companies, Kawasaki Plant Systems Ltd and Sojitz Corporation. Currently, in the city of Garabogaz of Balkan province, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation is building a urea production plant. A petrochemical plant that will produce polyethylene and polypropylene is being built in the settlement of Kiyanly. In Ahal province, Kawasaki is building a plant to produce fuel from natural gas and so on. Another topic to discuss was the deepening of cooperation targeted at promoting in our country such sports as judo. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Turkmenistan, Takahiko Katsumata.