Radu Georgescu: Japan has been a long-time leader in transport innovation. In what ways do you see Romania and Japan collaborating on smart mobility and sustainable infrastructure in the next decade?
H.E. Mr. KATO Akiyoshi: Japanese railroads have earned a very high reputation abroad for their outstanding safety and reliability, punctuality, advanced safety technology, and high quality of service despite high transport density, and many countries have already delivered high-speed and urban railroads.
In April of this year, a ceremony was held in Bucharest to mark the start of excavation for Metro Line 6, which will connect Henri Coanda International Airport with the “May 1 (1 Mai)” station near the center of Bucharest, the last of Japan’s ODA to Romania, and is scheduled for completion between 2027 and 2028. The project is scheduled for completion between 2027 and 2028. Padeco, a consulting service provider, is cooperating in this project.
Many Japanese companies with advanced railroad signaling and rolling stock technologies are participating in this Japanese company mission, including Kyosan, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, and PADECO. Today, a roundtable was held with Romanian Undersecretary of Transportation Ioniță, Romanian national railroad operators, and others to discuss a system that uses regenerative energy from brakes for power needs at station buildings and other systems essential for safe operation.
We believe that demand for railroads in Romania will increase in the future, and we hope that technologies from Japanese companies with strengths in safety and security will be introduced to improve convenience for Romanians and contribute to better connectivity in Europe.
R.G: Digital transformation is a shared priority. How do you envision strategic cooperation between Japan and Romania in areas like AI governance, cybersecurity, and next-gen digital infrastructure?
K.A.: We are aware that Romania has a large number of young and talented IT professionals, and we have seen very successful cooperation in the IT software industry through the acquisition of Romanian companies by NTT Data and Hitachi.
Mr. Kato Akiyoshi was appointed Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office on November 13, 2024.
In these key roles at METI, Mr. Kato is mainly responsible for coordinating government support for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan and strengthening Japan’s industrial competitiveness.
Mr. Kato joins METI from House of Councillors of the National Diet of Japan, where he represents constituents from Ibaraki Prefecture.
Prior to winning election to the House of Councillors in 2022, Mr. Kato served three terms as an elected member of Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly.
After graduating from Senshu University’s School of Commerce in 1991, Mr. Kato spent a year working as an expatriate employee in New Zealand.
He was born on February 7, 1968, in Ibaraki Prefecture.
