Japan is assessing greater use of the Middle Corridor following trial shipments by Japanese companies, as Tokyo funds customs upgrades at Kazakhstan’s port of Aktau worth up to $4.5 million.
The results of the trials were presented at an October 19 conference in Tokyo, which focused on Japan’s transport links with Central Asia and the Caucasus. The trials assessed delivery times and costs, alongside customs procedures and logistics services.
Japan’s funding provides for the installation of a stationary X-ray inspection system for large cargo at Aktau, where containers are shipped across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan. The grant, agreed in January, is valued at up to 719 million yen (approximately $4.5 million). The equipment is expected to reduce inspection times by two-thirds.
Kei Takagi, Japan’s State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, linked Tokyo’s interest in the Middle Corridor to efforts to diversify international transport routes and strengthen trade with Central Asia and the Caucasus.
For Japanese exporters, the Middle Corridor could provide an alternative way to reach markets across Central Asia and onward to Europe. Japanese cargo must first reach the corridor by sea, through China or another point connecting to the overland transport network. The route’s attractiveness therefore depends on transshipment costs and reliable connections, including efficient customs clearance.
In 2025, the Middle Corridor handled 4.12 million metric tons of freight, down from 4.48 million tons in 2024 but approximately five times the volume recorded seven years earlier. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, transit times along the corridor have fallen from 28–32 days to 13–17 days. The ministry’s estimate is for the corridor, rather than a quoted delivery time from Japan.
Beyond freight transport, conference participants discussed digital infrastructure across the Caspian Sea. The Kazakh side highlighted the October 15 inauguration of a 380-kilometer fiber-optic cable linking Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The cable across the Caspian seabed is intended to carry international internet traffic between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, with adjustments to the line continuing through the end of 2026.
Direct air connections were also discussed. Air Astana plans to launch scheduled flights between Almaty and Tokyo’s Narita Airport in December 2026.
