Sakhalin and Hokkaido enter new level of cooperation

Extraction and processing of biological water resources is likely to become a new and very promising area for cooperation between the Sakhalin region of Russia and the prefecture of Hokkaido, Japan.

Governor Harumi Takahashi chairs the business mission of one of the regions of Japan. Representatives of the authorities of the prefecture of Hokkaido and Japanese entrepreneurs came to Sakhalin to start a new page in relations between the two regions.

The trade turnover between Russia and Japan currently reaches 4 billion dollars, and new areas of cooperation may increase this amount. Both parties are interested in cooperation.

"We are looking forward to establishing cooperation with business people of Hokkaido on several fronts, - Oleg Kozhemyako, the Governor of the Sakhalin region said.  - It goes about fish farming, the development of mariculture, as well as the organization of exchanges for the sale of biological water resources."

The experience of Japanese business is very important for the project of electronic trading of living water resources. In Japan, the system of fish and seafood exchange trade was established a long time ago. As noted by Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi, in addition to cooperation in these areas, Japanese partners are very interested in rich possibilities of the Sakhalin region for the extraction of sea cabbage, or laminaria, - one of the most important ingredients of Japanese cuisine.

Hokkaido produces a quarter of Japan's seafood. Fish and seafood is not the only area where cooperation between the two neighboring regions has good prospects. Cooperation in the field of road construction, agriculture, the creation of tourism infrastructure also has a very good potential. The Sakhalin governor even proposed to consider the introduction of a visa-free regime for citizens of the Russian and Japanese regions as it could significantly increase the flow of tourists.

Another possible and promising project is related to the energy industry. After the disaster at Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan still suffers from the shortage of energy.

Pravda.Ru