Qatar is seeking greater participation in the state by Japanese financial services firms to boost economic ties between the two countries.In this regard, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) yesterday entered into agreement with Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan.The letters of exchange were signed and exchanged by Ryutaro Hatanaka, commissioner of the Japan FSA and Phillip Thorpe, chairman and CEO of QFCRA, during the annual Qatar-Japan Joint Economic Committee meeting in Tokyo.The Letters were signed in the presence of HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada. The committee is co-chaired by HE the Deputy Premier and Chief of the Emiri Diwan Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah. The agreement recognises both organisations’ desire to develop closer ties and co-operation with respect to the supervision of financial institutions.“The exchange of these letters will provide a strong foundation for future collaboration between the QFCRA and the Japan FSA,” Thorpe said.Currently, the QFCRA has authorised four Japanese firms Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company (Europe), Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Nomura International.“We look forward to working closely with the FSA of Japan in areas of common interest and to attracting more Japanese firms and institutions to Doha to maximise the investment opportunities between the two countries,” he added.