The forum was dedicated to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Japan.

President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Alexander Shokhin, greeted the participants by saying that never in recent memory had Russian business leaders visiting Japan been represented at such a high level.

Participants in the forum included the heads of large Russian companies, such as Gazprom, Sberbank, Rusal, and Svyazinvest.

The Russian organisers were the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Participants from Japan included representatives of Nippon Kedianren, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

East-Siberian Metals Corporation met with a number of representatives of Japanese business on the sidelines of the forum, including the two biggest Japanese companies, Sumitomo Corporation, and Japan’s Banc of International Cooperation (JBIC). The topic of discussion was these companies’ possible participation in the Ozernoe lead-zinc mine development project.