Tehran, Tokyo hold talks on research cooperation in housing, urban development
Iranian and Japanese officials met in Tehran to explore closer cooperation in road, housing and urban development research, according to Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
The talks brought together Ghazal Raheb, head of Iran’s Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Center, and head of the economic section at Japan’s Embassy in Tehran, along with other senior delegates, IRNA reported.
The meeting underscored Tehran and Tokyo’s longstanding scientific partnership, which has included joint training programs on seismic design of steel structures. Officials said the new round of talks aimed to “step up” joint research, share expertise and strengthen resilience in construction and urban planning.
Atefeh Jahanmohammadi, head of the center’s structures and buildings division, gave a detailed account of past collaboration, highlighting the knowledge-transfer program on earthquake-resistant design. She urged that the exchange continue, stressing Japan’s “valuable experience” in building safety and disaster resilience.
The Japanese official welcomed the initiative and called for broader work between the two sides in engineering, architecture, urban development and transportation. International research partnerships, he said, could “pave the way” for overcoming technical challenges facing both countries.
Raheb described the Tehran-based research center as the ministry’s think tank, active for five decades in scientific, technical and educational projects. She voiced readiness to expand cooperation with foreign partners, including Japan, and to export Iranian engineering services. She noted that past programs with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East had been “a successful model.”