Mr. Vladimir Platonov, the President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has been taking part in the Moscow Days of Culture in Japan as part of the official delegation of the Russian capital, headed by the Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Foreign Economic and International Relations Department of the City, Mr. Sergei Cheremin, and Chairman of the Moscow City Duma, Mr. Alexey Shaposhnikov. 

The main event of the business program’s visit was the Wednesday plenary session “Moscow and Tokyo. Common challenges, common interests”. 

The representatives of the Moscow delegation and international experts outlined key results and development priorities for Moscow, and together with Japanese colleagues discussed potential areas for cooperation. 

Lately, there has been an increase in the intensity of relations between Japan and Russia at the national level, including investment, transportation infrastructure, high-tech, culture and tourism. Speakers and panelists noted that Moscow, which has always been a megacity comparable in size to Tokyo, has gone from industrial to modern post-industrial city in the last 5-7 years. The focus of the authorities and the business community is a significant improvement in the quality of the urban environment, increasing the attractiveness of the city for citizens and tourists, creation of a modern transportation system, development of intelligent urban solutions, and the improvement of ecology.

In his speech, Mr. Platonov focused on the prospects for cooperation between business communities of the capitals of Russia and Japan as a form of “people's diplomacy”. The support of international business relations today is one of the priorities of the MCCI, the structure of which already incorporates 40 commissions on foreign economic cooperation with partners abroad. "Among them there is still no commission on relations with Japan, but after our current visit, I am sure it will be mitigated soon," the President of the MCCI said optimistically. 

Vladimir Platonov's confidence is based on the already traditional ties of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the business community of the Rising Sun. There is a lively exchange of visits, members of the High Technology Guild of the MCCI traditionally participate in the SEMICON International Exhibition of Semiconductor Materials, Devices and Equipment, and, right now, the Guild of the Digital Economy and Block chain Technologies of the MCCI is being premiered in the largest Tokyo exhibition - CEATEC JAPAN. According to the Guild’s Chairman, Mr. Evgeny Kontsevich, Moscow entrepreneurs consider the results of their participation in the exhibition to be very productive: numerous B2B meetings and exchange of experience are working to strengthen international business contacts, which today are highly valued in the IT field. 
 
In his speech, the President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry spoke about the creation of the Council of the Heads of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the cities this past summer - centers of business activity of the Euro-Asian economic space, which already includes 9 Chambers of Commerce and Industry from various countries and regions of Russia. He also presented the MCCI’s electronic platform - “Business Market”, which greatly facilitates the development of business cooperation of members of various CCIs. 

The Head of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry told the Japanese business community about the possibilities of investing in the Moscow economy and developing business partnerships, focusing on the ambitious project, dealing with housing renovation, as well as on the prospects for the development of the high-tech SEZ Zelenograd. 

During the visit, Mr. Platonov held successful meetings and negotiations on the development of cooperation with colleagues from the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Japan and Tokyo, as well as the Japanese Association for Trade with Russia, and the new independent states ROTOBO, Japan’s only organization, specializing in the development of business cooperation between Japanese and Russian enterprises. 

As part of the cultural program of the visit was the attendance of the Tokyo Cathedral of the Resurrection (Nikorai-do). It hosted the solemn presentation of the icon of St. Nicholas, comparable to the Apostles of Japan, to the Metropolitan of Tokyo and all of Japan, Daniel, the Primate of the Autonomous Orthodox Church of Moscow of the Moscow Patriarchate.

 The visit will end on Friday: after the meetings in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and Russian Embassy in Japan, the Moscow delegation returns home.