Japan’s Sojitz Corporation is set to launch one of Central Asia’s most ambitious infrastructure projects: the construction of a new international airport in Tashkent. According to Express Asia, construction will begin in 2025 and is expected to be completed by 2028, with a total project cost estimated at $1 billion.

The airport will be developed through a public-private partnership (PPP) with Saudi Arabia’s Vision Invest. Japan’s investment is projected to reach several hundred million dollars. Once completed, the airport will have a capacity of up to 20 million passengers annually and support more than 40 take-offs and landings per hour, making it the largest aviation hub in Central Asia.

Sojitz brings experience in airport development from projects in Japan’s Kumamoto and Okinawa prefectures, as well as on the Pacific island of Palau. In Uzbekistan, its activities extend beyond aviation: in partnership with Turkey’s Rönesans International, the company is planning an 800-bed hospital in Samarkand, a 1 GW wind power plant, and a 1.6 GW thermal power plant.

Driven by consistent GDP growth of around 6% per year, Uzbekistan continues to attract Japanese investment, bolstered by favorable tax policies and a 15% corporate tax rate. The number of Japanese companies operating in the country has doubled over the past five years to 54. Among them, Toyota Tsusho, through Eurus Energy Holdings, is developing a 500 MW wind power project, while Marubeni is collaborating with UAE firms on a wastewater treatment facility.

In 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with a Japanese delegation led by Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and representatives of Sojitz. The parties agreed on a three-year cooperation program with JBIC and a strategic roadmap with Sojitz for future projects in high-tech sectors. JBIC currently supports over $3.7 billion in joint ventures across Uzbekistan’s petrochemical, textile, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Sojitz also reaffirmed its commitment to expanding its footprint in the country, including its role in the Syrdarya II IPP project, one of Uzbekistan’s largest planned power generation facilities.

Pavel Durov, founder of the Russian messaging app Telegram, may face an administrative fine in Kazakhstan after posting a video of himself swimming in Kolsai Lake, a protected natural area where swimming and fishing are prohibited.

Durov arrived in Kazakhstan in early October to participate in the Digital Bridge 2025 forum in Astana, later visiting Almaty. During the trip, he shared a video on his own Telegram channel that showed him emerging from the waters of Kolsai Lake in the Almaty region. The post sparked widespread reaction on social media, given the lake’s status as part of a national park with strict visitation rules.

Under Kazakh law, violations of protected area regulations are punishable by a fine of up to $72.

The Kolsai Lakes National Park administration confirmed that an official investigation is underway. Deputy Chairman of the Administrative Police Committee, Alexei Milyuk, said the case has been referred to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

“We have collected materials based on media reports and social media posts, registered them, and forwarded them to the appropriate authorities,” Milyuk told reporters. “The question of bringing Pavel Durov to justice is now being considered by the environmental authorities.”

He added that penalties may be limited to a warning, with $72 being the maximum fine.

Durov later posted a follow-up video showing himself holding a metal rod, stating that he had entered the water to retrieve an object he noticed protruding from the lakebed in an effort to clean the area.

During his visit, Durov also announced the launch of Telegram’s AI Lab at the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center in Astana.