The aim of this Report is to facilitate market access to Japan for the European exporters in a number of selected sectors (food and wine, ICT, medical devices) through the sharing of comprehensive and practical information. There is no doubt that the Japanese market presents a huge potential for the committed, diligent and performing European SMEs with a clear and long term business vision. However, most SMEs cannot afford to establish a branch office in Japan, preferring to operate through Japanese business partners, distributors etc. In this context, the Report provides some background on distribution networks in Japan in the above mentioned sectors, identifies the most commonly used import routes for EU products/services and provides a number of recommendations from interviewed Japanese and European managers on key factors to succeed in Japan.

Additional material

A presentation based on this report and entitled “Brief Guide for European Companies on Importers and Wholesale Distributors in Japan (food and wine; ICT; medical devices sectors)" is also available to be donwloaded here.

Report written by Alice Tomaskova in the framework of the Minerva Fellowship Programme.