Selected for Prime Minister's Inspection | Uzbekistan Proud Academy Showcases Japan-Oriented Human Resource Development to the World with Mock Lessons

■ From left: Mr. Musaev, Director of the Immigration Agency, Cabinet of Ministers, Republic of Uzbekistan; Mr. Andrej Babiš, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic; Mr. Sayunaga Kobayashi, Local Head of UPA. Our company signed an international labor agreement in September 2025 with the Immigration Agency, Cabinet of Ministers, Republic of Uzbekistan (hereinafter, the Uzbekistan government) regarding the training of specific skilled personnel, against the backdrop of a severe labor shortage in Japan's domestic industries. In cooperation with the Uzbekistan government, we are promoting an initiative to train Uzbek personnel locally (overseas training) who have passed screenings for conduct, enthusiasm for work, and affinity for Japanese culture, and to accept those who meet certain standards as "ready-to-work specific skilled personnel." In February 2026, with strong support from the Uzbekistan government, we opened the training school "UZBEKISTAN PROUD ACADEMY (hereinafter, "UPA")" in Angren, Tashkent Province, Republic of Uzbekistan. To ensure that trainees can acquire practical Japanese language skills, Japanese-style safe driving techniques, manners, traffic rules, and emergency response from the basics with peace of mind, we minimize financial burdens on individuals and their families, and provide a conducive educational and living environment, including the use of dormitories provided by the Uzbekistan government. Currently, UPA aims to dispatch safe and ready-to-work truck drivers (Specific Skilled Worker No. 1 personnel) from Uzbekistan to Japan as part of the "Specific Skilled Worker Training Project specializing in the transportation industry," which is being advanced with the Uzbekistan government. Our company is responsible for UPA's operation, Japanese language education, and guidance on Japanese-style behavioral customs. Moving forward, our company and Izumi Logistics Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Makoto Hirakawa) plan to jointly implement safety and technical education in the automotive transport sector. Recently, the quality of UPA's education was recognized by the Director of the Immigration Agency, Cabinet of Ministers, Republic of Uzbekistan. During the visit of Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to Uzbekistan, Mr. Sayunaga Kobayashi, Local Head of UPA, conducted a mock lesson at a language and technical school in Tashkent City on April 30, 2026. **About the Specific Skilled Worker Training in cooperation with the Uzbekistan government** This initiative aims to solve challenges faced by both Uzbekistan and Japan. Through overseas training of foreign personnel and a circular human resource service, it seeks to shape "Japan's future" together with foreign personnel. The training fields will start with the automotive transport industry and are planned to expand to food service and construction. Eventually, comprehensive support for Japanese companies considering entry into the Uzbekistan market is also envisioned. In the automotive transport sector, in cooperation with the Uzbekistan government, after 6 months of Japanese language training at the local training school "UPA" and practical training (2-4 months) on safety education and driving techniques in accordance with Japanese laws and standards around autumn 2026, trainees will acquire Japanese-style safe driving techniques, manners, traffic rules, and emergency response based on Japanese traffic rules from the basics, fostering ready-to-work specific skilled drivers who will support Japan's domestic transportation network. For domestic transportation companies, this will enable the employment of even safer and more reliable specific skilled personnel (truck drivers). **Japan** **** * **Driver Shortage:** The specific skilled worker category for "Automotive Transport" was liberalized in April 2024, and the government anticipates accepting up to 24,500 people over five years. However, due to strict employment conditions unique to the transportation industry, only 40 Specific Skilled Worker No. 1 personnel were employed by companies as of the end of August 2025, indicating slow progress in accepting specific skilled workers. **Republic of Uzbekistan** * The Republic of Uzbekistan declared independence as the "Republic of Uzbekistan" on August 31, 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who took office in 2016, reviewed the closed-door situation under the previous regime, strict foreign exchange regulations, and protectionist trade policies, steering the country towards significant economic liberalization. * This young democracy has a primary industry-based economy, with a nominal GDP ranking 68th globally according to IMF estimates for 2025. As domestic industrial growth has not kept pace with population growth, the government has made foreign currency acquisition and reducing youth unemployment key policy priorities. * With domestic industries currently underdeveloped, there is an expectation for young people to work overseas to gain knowledge and expertise that can contribute to the growth of domestic industries upon their return. **Educational Scene at Uzbekistan Proud Academy (UPA)** * **Serious expressions of the first-term students at the opening ceremony** * **Guidance session after the opening ceremony** * **Japanese class after the opening ceremony** * **Cafeteria on the premises** **Overview of the "Specific Skilled Worker Training Project for the Transportation Industry" in cooperation with the local government** Our company, in cooperation with the Uzbekistan government, launched the Specific Skilled Worker Training Project specializing in the transportation industry in June 2025. This project is...