JAPANESE Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, has put the volume of trade between the two nations at $1 billion yearly.

The envoy made the disclosure in Abuja during the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) First Chair event with the theme, “Post-World War II: Reconstruction and Economic Development in Japan -Lesson for Nigeria.”

The event was organised in collaboration with the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA).

“The trade volume between Nigeria and Japan is $1 billion yearly. There are potentials that we can expand our trade and investment. The new area we are interested in is digital transformation and green energy,” Kazuyoshi said.

He added that his country’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was previewing applications for Japanese government scholarships, with over 1,000 applications from Nigerians alone.

UNIABUJA Vice Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’allah, said the establishment of Japanese Language and Culture Institute in the institution was to assist Nigeria in embracing the Asian giant’s technological and scientific development.