Japan Wants Bulgaria to Improve Its Investment Climate

More Japanese businesses could enter Bulgaria if the country improves its business climate, Japan's PM Yoshikiko Noda has told Bulgarian Parliamentary Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva.

During their 15-minute talks on Monday, Tsetska Tsacheva told Noda that Bulgaria will make efforts to bolster bilateral relations in fields such as business and tourism, and expressed hope for investment and the introduction of technology from Japan.

Noda said a free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union is important for cooperation between Japan and Bulgaria, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, as cited by Kyodo.

Noda also expressed his gratitude for Bulgarian assistance in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, while Tsacheva said she is "impressed" by Japanese efforts to reconstruct areas ravaged by the disaster.