Surveying her nearly six years in Japan, Zulma Guelman, Uruguay's ambassador to Japan, is most pleased to see the growing economic ties between the two countries.
"There has been significant progress in the variety of exports (from) Uruguay to Japan," she said at a meeting Friday at The Japan Times. "Although the numbers are small, they still have a significant multiplier effect at home," she added.
Trade is only part of the economic equation, however. Guelman also anticipates rising Japanese investment in Uruguay. The country of 3 million people has a stable political and economic climate, treats foreign investment identical to domestic investment and offers access to the 200 million consumers of the Mercosur trade bloc.
"Uruguay and Japan complement each other," said Guelman, who is returning to her country to take up a new post. " With a 97 percent literacy rate and a highly educated workforce, Uruguay offers a sophisticated market niche to foreign investors."