Abu Dhabi entities announced the signing of deals on Friday that are expected to see private companies from <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/japan/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/japan/">Japan</a> and the UAE develop <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/editorial/2025/04/21/dubai-ai-week-uae-abu-dhabi-nvidia-microsoft/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/editorial/2025/04/21/dubai-ai-week-uae-abu-dhabi-nvidia-microsoft/">smart solutions</a> for areas including sustainability and digital integration for smart cities. The focus of the Abu Dhabi-Japan Economic Council, where the deals were signed, placed great attention on non-oil industries and trade. "Non-oil GDP now contributes to over half of the [UAE] economy," Masood Rahma Al Masaood, treasurer of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said at the event. "Through this forum, we are helping Japan plug into a dynamic and tech forward market." "Both countries have ties since very long back and these ties have strengthened the economy together," added Mansour Al Sayegh, president of the Abu Dhabi Youth Business Council and the group chief executive of UAE conglomerate Al Sayegh Group. "We are looking forward to being part of this delegation, expanding our networks and hopefully, bringing more companies, Japanese companies, major [Japanese companies] into the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/energy/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/energy/">energy sector</a>, back home to Abu Dhabi," he added. Emirates Driving Company also announced the signing of an agreement with Zenmov Company to promote the deployment of smart mobility IT systems in the UAE and greater Middle East. Khalid bin Aamer Alshemeili, chief executive of Emirates Driving Company, and Sumio Tanaka, president and chief executive of Zenmov, said they will implement joint solutions using Zenmov's Smart Mobility Operations Cloud to optimise resources, vehicle management and unmanned car rentals. Emirates Driving Company will support the market entry of these process to better integrate into the UAE's smart city infrastructure, while Zenmov will provide technical support and training. "We're planning to set up a subsidiary in Abu Dhabi this year, hopefully," said Mr Tanaka. "After we make a subsidiary, we want to make it the centre of our business to the whole of the Middle East and also Europe and Africa." Ne'ma, Abu Dhabi's food and waste loss initiative, signed an initial pact with the Japan International Co-operation Centre to reduce waste in the UAE. The agreement signed by members of the Abu Dhabi-Japan Economic Council on Friday aims to strengthen co-operation between the UAE and Japan to achieve Ne'ma's goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 per cent by 2030. This falls in line with the UAE's National Food Security Strategy 2051 and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, according to statements by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. ADDED chairman Ahmed Al Zaabi and Nobuyori Kodaira, president of the Japan Co-operation Centre for the Middle East, are both co-chairs of ADJEC and attended the signing of the agreement. They were joined by UAE ambassador to Japan Shihab Alfaheem and Japan's State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ogushi Masaki.
