KUALA LUMPUR: Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Japan rose 11.8 per cent to US$23.3 billion (US$1=RM4.03) in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He said Japan continues to rank among Malaysia’s important trading and investment partners, supported by decades of economic cooperation between the two countries.
"These investments brought technology and management expertise, strengthened domestic supply chains, created opportunities for local businesses, and helped to bring Malaysia into global manufacturing networks,” he said in his keynote address at the 43rd MAJECA-JAMECA Joint Conference here, today.
MAJECA stands for the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association, while JAMECA stands for the Japan-Malaysia Economic Association.
Johari said Malaysia is looking to further revitalise and deepen its economic collaboration with Japan.
"We want to restore and surpass the level of ambition, intensity and confidence that once defined Malaysia-Japan relations.
"This does not mean recreating models of the past, but applying them to suit opportunities of the future,” he said.
The minister said there is strong complementarity between the economic priorities of Malaysia and Japan, with both countries focusing on economy, food and energy security, as well as the resilience of critical supply chains.
He said Japan could tap into the emerging opportunities in ASEAN and Malaysia’s energy transition by supporting renewable energy expansion, new energy technologies and future-ready infrastructure.
"We want our local companies to develop their own technological capabilities, and we want Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to become suppliers not only to multinational companies operating in Malaysia, but to supply chains around the world.
"Japan possesses many of the capabilities that can help us make that transition into increasingly sophisticated segments of the semiconductor value chain,” he added. - Bernama
