You are here: Home › Japan and Serbia: 140 years of friendship

Japan and Serbia: 140 years of friendship

By Ryan Cardenas
-    Oct 27, 2022
Credit : GMI Post

In 1882, the then newly-crowned Serbian King Milan Obrenovic sent letters of friendship to the rulers of many countries. One of those letters found its way to Japan’s Emperor Meiji in Tokyo, marking the first diplomatic correspondence between the two countries. Nearly a century and a half later, the respect, friendship and cooperation have only grown stronger between them

H.E. Aleksandra Kovac, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Tokyo

To mark the 140th anniversary of bilateral relations between Japan and Serbia, GMI POST met with Her Excellency Aleksandra Kovac, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Tokyo, to discuss the current state of affairs between the two countries and the future of bilateral ties.

“I see ourselves as long-time friends that are growing together,” Kovac said, as she highlighted the increasing cooperation in the political and economic spheres through the years. According to the ambassador, this is evident in the increasing frequency of state visits between the two countries in recent decades, the most notable of which was the late prime minister Shinzo Abe’s trip to Serbia in 2018 wherein he launched The Western Balkan Initiative.

Today, Japan is the fifth-largest foreign investor in Serbia. Kovac identified car parts industry, pharmaceuticals, chemical industry, food, electronics etc. as the biggest recipients of Japanese investment, with start-ups, digital industry and green energy as great potentials for bigger Japanese presence.

In the diplomatic sphere, Kovac shared that Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, during her visit to attend the state funeral of slain prime minister Shinzo Abe, met with her counterpart, Fumio Kishida, and with Minister of Digital Affairs Taro Kono to explore opportunities to digitalize government processes.

“Serbia is building a strong image of a country with thriving economic opportunities and being responsive to the new trends,” said the ambassador, who pointed out Serbia could easily innovate and develop with the help of Japan. “Both Serbia and Japan are looking towards the future and thinking of ways to prosper and contribute to the global community.”

Article Tags: Japan, Serbia, Diplomacy

Business opportunities in Latin America for Japanese companies

Thanks to Texas' proximity to the emerging markets of Central and South America, several major Japanese companies with significant investments in L...

The Evolving Military Balance in the Taiwan Strait

Panelists discuss the risk of an armed conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan and how the United States should adapt its defense ...

Young Professionals Briefing: The Future of Democracy Around the World

Panelists discuss democratic backsliding, the rights of marginalized populations living under authoritarian regimes, and the prospects for and obst...

TWSE: Cultivating Growth

When gauging a country's economic prospects, analysts first study the historical performance of its financial market and activity that characterize...

Philippines' top EdTech startup secures Series A funding as it boosts reach and engagement

Edukasyon, the leading education technology platform in the Philippines, recently closed its Series A financing round, joined by Asian and European...

Japanese carmakers: A vital part of the U.S. economy

Over nearly four decades, Japanese-brand automakers have built up a vast American presence. It has made a cumulative manufacturing investment of ab...

Casino slot manufacturer attributes success to hard work, vision, and dedication to core values

Japanese gaming giant Konami has invested heavily in Las Vegas, setting up a huge head office in the city from where it develops and markets indust...

Reaffirming a commitment to create equal opportunity

Tracing its origins back more than a century, LHAG has nurtured a reputation for excellence and expertise in dispute resolution, international arbi...

Malaysia: A fresh start

Ten months since historic elections that rocked the nation's political landscape, Malaysia, once again headed by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, i...

latest special Reports:

More Special Reports: more...

Upcoming Reports from




  • Global Media is your partner in reaching a powerful international audience through high-level economic reporting.

    Our ambition is to highlight under-reported developments and opportunities around the world, and allow leaders in these regions and sectors to take their message to the highest global level. We partner with top media to communicate with the world’s most powerful audiences. We specialize in communication and branding initiatives that help our clients effectively get their messages to their existing and potential partners. We achieve results for our clients by introducing them and their initiatives to an audience of elite international business and government leaders.

    Global Media Inc. is an independent media agency with offices in Hong Kong and Canada. GMI has more than a decade of experience in the writing, researching, and production of promotional country reports, with media partners from East Asia to North America. We have teams worldwide that develop country and thematic reports on the latest economic trends and developments.

    We are a media partner of Foreign Affairs,the United States’ most influential publication, published by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

    Nearly a century old, there isn’t a more influential or higher-reaching publication in the United States than Foreign Affairs. The journal is ranked #1 in influence by U.S. opinion leaders in a recent nationwide study conducted by Erdos and Morgan, the premier business-to-business research firm. Their findings place Foreign Affairs ahead of all media, both print and broadcast, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and The Washington Post.

    Testimonials:

    “We were extremely impressed with how efficient, well-coordinated, responsive and reliable the Global Media Inc. team was. We owe them a lot for their professionalism. We were very pleased with the outcome, and the article was very well-written. We hope to have an opportunity to work with Global Media Inc. again in the near future.� – Japan Airport Terminal Co. Ltd.
    “The Global Media team’s professionalism was excellent. Their team was great and always gave us the right suggestions and information. The product was excellent, and we were very happy to have such a great opportunity working with their excellent team.â€� – National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (GRIPS)
    “We were honored to be chosen as one of the good universities in Japan. This article conveyed Seigakuin University’s educational ideals and the message from President Akudo. The advertisement was conspicuous and gave a good impression that Seigakuin nurtured students to contribute to world peace. We really appreciated what Global Media Inc. had did for us.â€� – Seigakuin University

    Whom we have featured:

    • Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
    • Australian Foreign Affairs Minister (and former Prime Minister) Kevin Rudd
    • Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
    • Qatari Minister of International Trade and Industry Dato’ Sri Mustapa bin Mohamed
    • Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yoshiaki Takaki
    • Taiwanese Foreign Minister Yang Chin-Tien
    • Taiwanese Finance Minister Lee Sush-Der
    • Taiwanese Economic Affairs Minister Shih Yen-Shiang
    • Taiwanese National Science Council Minister Lee Lou-Chuang,
    • Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Yeh Kuang-Shih
    • Taiwanese Political Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Lin Tsong-Ming
    • Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Dr. Dino Patti Djalal
    • Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board Chairman Gita Wirjawan
    • Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III
    • Philippine Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

Join our newsletter

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get the latest news and updates directly to your inbox.