This came as FM Abdelatty delivered a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and discussed ways to expand investment and economic cooperation, Egypt's foreign ministry said.
The proposal comes as Egypt seeks to attract more Japanese investment and position itself as a regional manufacturing and export hub serving Arab, African, and European markets through its extensive network of free trade agreements.
Abdelatty conveyed El-Sisi's greetings to Takaichi and handed over a written message outlining ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. He praised the progress achieved in bilateral relations since Egypt and Japan elevated ties to a strategic partnership in April 2023 and expressed Cairo's interest in further expanding cooperation across a range of sectors.
According to the foreign ministry, the foreign minister highlighted Egypt's potential as a strategic destination for Japanese companies seeking to diversify production bases and supply chains amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and global economic disruptions.
He reviewed measures taken to improve Egypt's investment climate through economic reforms implemented in recent years and called on the Japanese government to encourage businesses to increase investment in the Egyptian market.
Abdelatty also stressed the importance of expanding cooperation across industry, innovation, scientific research, and digital transformation, noting that Japanese expertise could play an important role in supporting Egypt's development efforts.
The minister said the proposed industrial zone in the SCZone would enable Japanese companies to benefit from investment incentives and customs advantages offered by the economic zone, while strengthening industrial and trade links between the two countries.
The talks also addressed the strong development partnership between Cairo and Tokyo, with Abdelatty expressing hope for continued cooperation in education, healthcare, transportation, energy, and sustainable development.
He highlighted ongoing joint initiatives, including support for the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) and technical and vocational education projects that aim to transfer Japanese expertise and enhance workforce skills in Egypt.
Abdelatty further discussed opportunities for trilateral cooperation between Egypt, Japan, and African countries, emphasizing Egypt's role as a gateway to the continent.
He also invited Japan to participate in the inaugural Alamein-Africa Business Forum, scheduled for later this month, describing it as a platform to promote trade and investment partnerships across Africa.
Regional developments also featured prominently in the discussions. Abdelatty briefed the Japanese prime minister on Egypt's efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote stability in the Middle East, including developments in Gaza, Sudan, and the Horn of Africa.
For her part, Takaichi praised the strength and steady growth of Egyptian-Japanese relations and reaffirmed Japan's commitment to advancing cooperation across various sectors. She also commended Egypt's efforts to support regional security and stability and to promote de-escalation in the Middle East.
Egypt and Japan elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in April 2023, expanding cooperation beyond development assistance to include investment, education, technology, infrastructure, energy, and human-capital development.
Education has emerged as one of the most successful pillars of bilateral cooperation.
In the most recent high-level engagement, President El-Sisi met Hiroshima University President Mitsuo Ochi in Cairo in April to discuss expanding cooperation in higher education, artificial intelligence, and advanced technologies.
El-Sisi stressed Egypt's commitment to modernizing curricula, improving educational quality, and increasing the use of AI and other emerging technologies to better prepare students for the labour market.
Earlier this year, El-Sisi also met with Japanese Education Minister Yohei Matsumoto, during which the two sides reviewed cooperation in curriculum development, vocational education, teacher training, software studies, and special-needs education.
The discussions included plans to introduce software and digital-skills programmes based on Japanese educational models to hundreds of thousands of Egyptian students.
Another flagship initiative is Egypt's network of Egyptian-Japanese Schools, which adopt Japanese educational methods that emphasize discipline, teamwork, and character-building.
Education Minister Mohamed Abdel-Latif said in May that more than 100 Egyptian-Japanese schools are expected to be operating in the 2026/27 academic year, with Egypt targeting 500 schools by 2030, reflecting the government's ambition to scale up the Japanese model nationwide.
Beyond education, Japan remains one of Egypt's most important development partners through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which supports major projects in transportation, energy, healthcare, and human resource development.
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