Mexico, Japan Foster Dialogue to Expand Investment Cooperation

In an effort to deepen bilateral dialogue, strengthen economic ties and expand cooperation between Japan and Mexico, Members of the Mexican Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee met with a delegation from the government of Japan, officials said.

The Japanese delegation was led by Horii Iwao, Japan’s minister of state for foreign affairs, who emphasized the importance of consolidating Mexico and Japan as strategic partners. He highlighted the role of increased political and legislative exchanges in creating favorable conditions for Japanese companies already operating in Mexico, as well as for attracting new productive investment.

Horii called on the Mexican Senate to support closer dialogue with the federal government to help expand investment flows and reinforce economic cooperation between the two nations.

He also noted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in which Japan’s national team will play matches in Monterrey, Nuevo León, could serve as a catalyst for greater economic, cultural and business exchanges between Mexico and Japan.

Alejandro Murat, president of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, said the Japanese minister’s visit strengthens bilateral relations at a time of geopolitical and commercial realignment. Murat stressed that parliamentary dialogue is increasingly relevant to sustaining long-term economic ties and addressing issues such as the modernization of existing trade agreements.

Murat announced that the committee has committed to promoting periodic interparliamentary meetings every three years, alternating venues between Mexico and Japan. The meetings will focus on updating the bilateral free trade agreement and encouraging a stronger presence of Japanese companies in Mexico, as well as Mexican firms in Asian markets.

Sen. Cuauhtémoc Ochoa, a member of the ruling Morena party, said Mexico continues to offer favorable conditions for foreign investment, including legal certainty, macroeconomic stability and investor protection. He added that the current federal administration has reiterated its commitment to honoring international agreements and maintaining ongoing dialogue with the productive sector.

Ochoa noted that bilateral trade between Mexico and Japan has doubled in recent years, with more than 90% of traded goods exchanged tariff-free. Japan is currently Mexico’s largest Asian investor and its sixth-largest trading partner worldwide, with more than 1,500 Japanese companies operating in the country. These firms generate more than 90,000 jobs and contribute to strengthening Mexico’s productive capacity, he said.

Nissan Consolidates Mexico Production in Aguascalientes 

MBN reported that Nissan has completed a long-term shift of its manufacturing operations in Mexico from the CIVAC plant in Morelos to Aguascalientes, a move driven by labor costs, logistics and supplier concentration that has reshaped the automaker’s industrial footprint in the country.

The Japanese automaker began operations in Mexico in 1966 with the opening of its CIVAC plant in Ciudad Industrial del Valle de Cuernavaca, marking its first manufacturing facility outside Japan. For decades, CIVAC served as Nissan’s main production hub, assembling models such as the Bluebird 411, the first vehicle Nissan built in Mexico, and later supporting the company’s expansion in the domestic market.

That central role began to change in the late 1990s as Mexico’s automotive industry reoriented toward export manufacturing and the Bajío region gained prominence. Production gradually shifted north, aligning with the expansion of auto parts suppliers and logistics corridors in central Mexico.

“Aguascalientes was strategically an indispensable point to supply that backbone of automobiles to North America. Nissan saw that and invested there starting 40 years ago,” said Eric Ramírez, director of Urban Science for Latin America and the Caribbean.