From cooperation to local impact: Japan strengthens health care and agroindustry in Colombia

Writen by: Oscar Delgado, Economics Intern, CCJCI.

During October 2026, the relationship between Colombia and Japan once again showed that bilateral cooperation is not limited to diplomatic meetings, trade negotiations or major investment projects. In the department of Cesar, this relationship materialized in two concrete initiatives linked to strategic areas of regional development: the coffee agroindustry and health care.

On October 2, the Embassy of Japan in Colombia delivered a Coffee Collection, Processing and Dispatch Center in the district of Chimila, municipality of El Copey, as well as medical equipment for the E.S.E. Hospital Jorge Isaac Rincón Torres in La Jagua de Ibirico. Both projects were implemented through Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, known as KUSANONE. Three days later, Ambassador Shimizu Toru met with the Minister of Health and Social Protection, highlighting Japan's long-standing cooperation and the activities of Japanese companies in Colombia in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and food. (Embassy of Japan in Colombia, 2026).

OCT 1	OCT 2	OCT 2	OCT 5
International Colombia–Japan Forum in Bogotá	Delivery of the coffee center in El Copey	Delivery of medical equipment in La Jagua de Ibirico	Japan–Ministry of Health meeting

A sequence of events connecting cooperation, territorial development and bilateral economic dialogue.

Japan in Colombia: a relationship that can also be measured

Japan's footprint is not limited to community cooperation. Between 2021 and 2026 to date, Colombia received 28 new or expansion investment projects from Japan, 19 of which were located in Bogotá-Region. Those 19 projects represented an estimated US$194 million in investment and approximately 1,141 jobs. In parallel, the KUSANONE program accumulated 791 projects implemented in Colombia between 1989 and the end of fiscal year 2024, totaling more than US$67 million.

Recent Japanese economic footprint in Bogotá-Region. Source: Invest in Bogotá (2026).

791	> US$ 67 M	1989–2024
KUSANONE projectsimplemented through 2024	cumulative cooperationthrough KUSANONE	more than three decadesof territorial cooperation

Coffee: adding value before reaching the market

The El Copey project is significant beyond the construction of physical infrastructure. The center was designed to support coffee-producing families in the district of Chimila by strengthening collection, processing and dispatch capabilities, improving product quality and supporting the regional economy.

The project had been formalized in January 2026 and, according to the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia (APC-Colombia), had a budget of COP 272,650,933. Its design includes conditions intended to improve ventilation and bean drying, with the aim of generating greater added value and contributing to higher producer incomes.

This dimension is especially relevant to internationalization. Competing in demanding markets does not depend only on producing more, but on ensuring consistency, traceability, adequate processing, certifications and continuity of supply. In this sense, productive infrastructure can become the bridge between a high-quality raw material and a commercial offering capable of meeting the needs of international buyers.

COP 272.7 millionReported budget for the coffee collection, processing and dispatch center in El Copey.

The experience is not isolated. In August 2024, Japan inaugurated another organic coffee collection, processing and dispatch center in Agustín Codazzi, Cesar, aimed at increasing the added value of coffee beans and improving the incomes of 100 families and 400 farmers. The continuity of this type of initiative points to a line of Japanese cooperation linked to rural development and the strengthening of productive value chains in Colombia.

For the business sector, the message is clear: the ability to access international markets is built at the source. Processing quality, traceability and documentary readiness are just as important as the product itself.

Health care: cooperation that strengthens local capacities

The second project delivered on October 2 was implemented in La Jagua de Ibirico. Japan provided medical equipment to the E.S.E. Hospital Jorge Isaac Rincón Torres through the KUSANONE program, with the objective of strengthening hospital care and contributing to regional development.

The initiative had been signed in September 2024. At that time, the Embassy of Japan reported that the equipment was intended to support care for approximately 44,000 emergency patients and 500 pregnant women per year, as well as facilitate around 312,000 laboratory tests annually. The 2026 delivery shows that these cooperation programs require continuity between signing, implementation and the commissioning of equipment.

44,000	500	312,000
emergency patients/year	pregnant women/year	laboratory tests/year

Target figures reported by the Embassy of Japan when the project was signed in 2024.

Health care is also gaining visibility within the bilateral agenda. On October 5, 2026, Ambassador Shimizu Toru met with the Minister of Health and Social Protection. During the meeting, he highlighted Japan's long-standing economic cooperation and the activities of Japanese companies in Colombia in the medical-device, pharmaceutical and food sectors.

This combination reveals two complementary levels of the relationship: public and community cooperation on the one hand, and a business space linked to medical technology, pharmaceuticals, nutrition and specialized inputs on the other. For Colombia, the challenge is to turn local capabilities into proposals that are sufficiently documented and regulatorily prepared to engage with international actors.

KUSANONE: cooperation built around local needs

The El Copey and La Jagua de Ibirico projects are part of KUSANONE, Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. This mechanism supports initiatives addressing basic needs and local development and has financed projects in Colombia related to health, education, community infrastructure and productive strengthening.

Its value within the bilateral relationship lies precisely in its territorial scale. While other instruments focus on large national programs, KUSANONE makes cooperation tangible in hospitals, producer associations, educational institutions and specific communities. Its effects can go beyond the financed infrastructure or equipment: a coffee organization with stronger processing capabilities can access higher-value markets, while a better-equipped hospital can expand its response capacity and improve the quality of its services.

Cooperation can therefore be understood as a component of capacity building. It does not replace private investment or trade, but it can create conditions that facilitate productive development, regional stability and new economic connections.

JICA: technical cooperation and long-term capacity building

Japanese cooperation in Colombia extends beyond KUSANONE. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been established in Colombia since 1980 and is one of the institutions responsible for implementing Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) through technical cooperation. Its approach combines knowledge transfer, training, experts, equipment and institutional capacity building.

In Colombia, JICA organizes its cooperation around areas such as peacebuilding, social development and equity, sustainable economic development and employment generation, and the environment. Associated programs include agricultural and rural development, urban planning, disaster prevention, SME strengthening and productivity, and environmental conservation. This agenda shows that Japanese cooperation can accompany long-term processes, not only one-off interventions.

One current example is the Project for Strengthening Inclusive Agricultural and Rural Development to Promote Peacebuilding (DRIP de PAZ), implemented with the Rural Development Agency between 2021 and November 2026. JICA also reports projects in areas such as agricultural value-chain development, community policing and peacebuilding.

JICA's presence was also visible in the October agenda: Akihiko Yamada, JICA's Resident Representative in Colombia, participated alongside Ambassador Shimizu in the International Colombia-Japan Forum held in Bogotá on October 1. This reinforces the view that the bilateral relationship combines community cooperation, technical cooperation and economic interaction.

Complementary channels of the Japanese presence in Colombia. Prepared in-house using official information from the Embassy of Japan, JICA, APC-Colombia and Invest in Bogotá.

From cooperation to business opportunities

The events of October also coincided with a broader moment of dialogue between the two countries. On October 1, the International Colombia-Japan Forum was held in Bogotá at Universidad de América as part of the institution's 70th anniversary activities. Ambassador Shimizu Toru and Akihiko Yamada, JICA's Resident Representative in Colombia, participated in the event. The discussion included expectations regarding the conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and key areas for future bilateral exchange.

For Colombia's private sector, this context leads to a useful conclusion: Japan should not be viewed only as an export destination or a potential source of investment. The bilateral relationship also includes technical cooperation, institutional strengthening, knowledge transfer and business activity in specific sectors.

In agroindustry, opportunities require products with traceability, certifications, processing and continuity of supply. In health care and pharmaceuticals, readiness depends on registrations, technical documentation, evidence of quality and regulatory clarity. The bilateral relationship can facilitate connections, but the ability to take advantage of them depends on how prepared each company is to meet international standards.

A relationship built from the territory

The events of October show that the relationship between Colombia and Japan has multiple dimensions. In Cesar, that relationship materialized in infrastructure for coffee producers and equipment to strengthen hospital care. In Bogotá, institutional and academic dialogue continued, with participation from both the Embassy and JICA. At the same time, Japanese investment maintains a concrete economic presence: Bogotá-Region concentrates around 68% of the new and expansion Japanese investment projects that have arrived in Colombia since 2021.

Rather than isolated events, these initiatives show a relationship in which cooperation can strengthen productive and social capabilities that, over time, facilitate new opportunities for exchange. Colombia's challenge is to connect those dimensions: use cooperation to raise capabilities, use institutions to bring actors together, and prepare companies able to turn those connections into commercial relationships and long-term partnerships.

In that process, Japan can be not only a trading partner, but also an ally in strengthening local capabilities and building a more diversified and sustainable bilateral relationship.

REFERENCES

·       Embassy of Japan in Colombia (2026). Japan's support for the construction of a Coffee Collection, Processing and Dispatch Center in El Copey, Cesar.

·       Embassy of Japan in Colombia (2026). Japan's support for the donation of medical equipment to E.S.E. Hospital Jorge Isaac Rincón Torres in La Jagua de Ibirico, Cesar.

·       Embassy of Japan in Colombia (2026). Courtesy visit by Ambassador Shimizu to the Minister of Health and Social Protection.

·       Embassy of Japan in Colombia (2026). International Colombia-Japan Forum at Universidad de América.

·       Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia - APC-Colombia (2026). Japan and Colombia strengthen territorial cooperation with the signing of three KUSANONE agreements.

·       Embassy of Japan in Colombia (2024). Japan's support for the provision of medical equipment to a hospital in La Jagua de Ibirico, Cesar.

·       Embassy of Japan in Colombia (2024). Japan's support for the construction of an organic coffee collection, processing and dispatch center in Agustín Codazzi, Cesar.

Invest in Bogotá (2026). Bogotá-Region is now Japan's leading investment destination in Colombia. https://es.investinbogota.org/noticias/japon-bogota-principal-destino-inversion-colombia/

JICA Colombia (2026). Technical Assistance and International Cooperation. https://www.jica.go.jp/spanish/overseas/colombia/activities/01.html

JICA Colombia (2026). Priority Areas and Cooperation Programs. https://www.jica.go.jp/spanish/overseas/colombia/activities/03.html

JICA. DRIP de PAZ Project / technical cooperation in Colombia, 2021-2026. https://www.jica.go.jp/english/overseas/colombia/activities/index.html