TEHRAN (IRNA) -- A four-year joint venture on energy management of Iran’s Ministry of Energy and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) ended here Tuesday.

The project kicked off in the northeastern Iranian city of Tabriz in March 2003.

During the period, JICA dispatched eight and 23 experts to Iran in two stages to pass long- and short-term courses, respectively.

Iran, in turn, sent 17 trainees to Japan.

Based on their previous agreements, JICA provided Iran with necessary facilities worth $1.2 million to transfer technology and the Iranian side prepared the ground for holding training courses.

Attended by 676 trainees so far, courses revolved around general energy, thermal energy, and electrical energy.

Japan's Ambassador Hideaki Domichi, in a ceremony here Tuesday, hailed the Iranian ministry for successful implementation of the project.

He said Japan imports 90 percent of its needed energy, carrying out measures to optimize the energy consumption.

The Japanese envoy added the optimum use of energy, due to its decreasing trend, is now an international issue, calling on all countries to boost cooperation toward optimization the use of energy.