Sri Lanka seeks Japanese investment in mineral sector
Sri Lanka is seeking Japanese investment, technology transfer and partnerships to develop its mineral sector following a visit to Japan led by Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti.
The Minister visited Japan from October 13 to 16, 2026, along with a delegation of senior government officials and private-sector representatives to promote investment opportunities and value-added production in Sri Lanka’s mineral industry.
As part of the visit, the Sri Lanka–Japan Mineral Sector Promotion Seminar and Investor Roundtable Discussion was held on October 14, 2026, at the headquarters of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Tokyo.
The event was jointly organised by the Commercial Section of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Japan and JETRO under the Economic Diplomacy Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.
According to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tokyo, this was the first time the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development had organised a delegation to Japan specifically to promote a single economic sector.
The initiative highlighted the importance of the mineral sector under Sri Lanka’s National Export Development Programme (NEDP) and its potential contribution towards the country’s target of achieving US$36 billion in exports by 2030.
More than 100 participants attended the seminar, which included presentations on Sri Lanka’s mineral resources, national mineral policy, investment framework and business opportunities.
Ten Sri Lankan companies presented their products and investment opportunities, followed by direct business discussions with Japanese representatives.
The discussions identified possible areas of cooperation involving graphite, mineral sands, quartz and other mineral resources. Special attention was given to assessing mineral resources, producing value-added products and establishing reliable supply chains.
During the visit, Minister Handunnetti and the delegation also held meetings with senior officials from several major Japanese institutions.
These included Chairman and CEO of the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), Ichiro Takahara; Director General of the South Asia Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Tetsuya Yamada; Executive Vice President of JETRO, Akiko Okumura; and State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Kei Takagi.
The delegation also met Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kazuhiro Fujii.
The meetings focused on possible cooperation in geological surveys, mineral resource assessment, technical training and capacity building, mineral processing and investment promotion.
The visit was aimed at strengthening economic relations between Sri Lanka and Japan, attracting foreign investment into the mineral sector, expanding Sri Lanka’s export opportunities and supporting the country’s long-term development goals.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tokyo released details of the visit in a statement issued on October 19, 2026.