This article is Part 2 of Japan NRG’s closer look at Tokyo’s growing energy relations with the countries of Central Asia.

As global competition for resources intensifies, Japan is rethinking its role in Central Asia, a landlocked but resource-rich region. Long overshadowed by Russia and China, the region has become newly attractive to Tokyo as supply chains splinter and energy security climbs back to the top of policy agendas.

Progress has been halting since the Central Asian republics gained independence in 1991, but the past 18 months have seen Tokyo send a clear signal that it wants to deepen ties amid shifting geopolitical tectonics. For Japan, Central Asia offers a potential hedge against overreliance on the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and an alternative to new resource gambits in Africa. It is also a region eager to welcome Japan’s infrastructure and technology.

Formidable obstacles remain. Central Asia’s geography – hemmed in by Russia to the north, and Afghanistan and Iran to the south – limits direct maritime access. The only practical overland corridor is through China, with whom Tokyo’s relationship is fraught and increasingly competitive in both business and diplomacy. Beijing’s close alignment with Moscow further complicates Japan’s position, as does the growing confrontation between China and the G7. That makes it awkward for Japanese firms to tap into Chinese-financed infrastructure now lacing the region.

Despite these barriers, Japanese companies are carving out niches in energy, minerals, and transport, often backed by official development assistance and technical know-how. The aim is not quick wins, but long-term partnerships that can anchor Japan more firmly in a region it can ill afford to neglect.