Green Business Mission in Japan

– Decarbonisation, Clean Energy and Circular Economy Solutions

Are you running a business that offers innovative technologies or solutions for decarbonisation, clean energy, circular economy or resource efficiency?
Would you like to develop your business in Japan and beyond?

The EU-Japan Centre invites European companies and clusters to apply to the Green Business Mission in Japan in March 2027.

The mission includes participation in the Smart Energy Week / Sustainability Management Week 2027, held at Tokyo Big Sight.

ABOUT THE MISSION

The Green Business Mission offers a unique entry point into the Japanese market. Mission participants will exhibit and take part in the Smart Energy Week / Sustainability Management Week, a major Japanese trade fair for technologies and solutions supporting carbon neutrality including renewable energy, circular economy and decarbonisation technologies.

The EU Pavilion will be located at the intersection of Decarbonisation Expo and Circular Economy Expo, allowing participants to access industry professionals looking for various solutions supporting carbon neutrality and the green transition, including renewable energy and sustainable and circular resource management.  

This mission offers:

• Exhibition space within the shared mission booth at Decarbonisation Expo 2027 / Circular Economy Expo 2027
• Tailored 1-to-1 meetings with Japanese counterparts, pre-arranged with the EU-Japan Centre’s support
• Networking opportunities with Japanese and international stakeholders

Number of participants: up to 16

SERVICES OFFERED BEFORE THE MISSION

Before travelling to Japan, participants will be provided with 2 online training modules to prepare for the mission. The dates are currently TBC. Details of the agenda for each day of training will be communicated in due course.

PLANNED SCHEDULE

OBJECTIVES

• Help EU companies initiate and develop connections in Japan
• Support EU companies in identifying potential partners for future business and innovation partnerships
• Offer first-hand exposure and promotion of EU companies’ technologies and services to prospective clients in Japan
• Support EU firms with actionable insights into the Japanese market, IP regulation, public procurement opportunities and the R&D landscape

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

This call for applications is open to individuals representing companies, including SMEs (1) and large companies, or clusters (2), from the European Union or a country associated with the Single Market Programme, SME Pillar (3).

The mission targets companies and clusters providing innovative technologies and solutions that contribute to decarbonisation, clean energy deployment, circular economy, resource efficiency and the green transition.

We focus on companies offering solutions with a clear business or industrial use case and demonstrated potential for real-world deployment, particularly in areas such as renewable and clean energy, energy storage and management, industrial decarbonisation, sustainable buildings and infrastructure, circular economy and resource efficiency, carbon management, and low-carbon transport and mobility.

(1) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are companies that meet the standard criteria set by the European Commission to be classified as SMEs.

(2) Clusters are those registered in the European Cluster Collaboration Platform. Registration on that platform is free of charge.

(3) Please check the status of your country here.

EXAMPLES OF RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY AREAS

• Renewable and clean energy solutions, including hydrogen and fuel cells, solar and photovoltaic technologies, wind energy, biomass, renewable heat and related clean-energy technologies
• Energy storage, grids and energy management, including battery and energy-storage technologies, smart grids, energy management systems, demand-response and virtual power plant solutions, EV integration and charging technologies
• Industrial decarbonisation and energy efficiency, including industrial heat decarbonisation, electrification, waste-heat recovery, energy-efficient production technologies and low-carbon industrial processes
• Sustainable buildings and infrastructure, including net-zero energy buildings, smart buildings, building energy-management systems, energy-efficient HVAC and ventilation systems, building-integrated renewable energy and related construction technologies
• Circular economy and resource efficiency, including circular design, sustainable materials, recycling, reuse and reprocessing technologies, resource recovery, waste valorisation, water recycling and technologies supporting more efficient use of materials and resources
• Carbon management and digital green solutions, including GHG measurement and visualisation, carbon accounting and management, supply-chain emissions management, and AI-, IoT- or data-based solutions supporting energy, resource and emissions optimisation
• Low-carbon transport and mobility solutions, including EV utilisation and infrastructure, fleet energy management, low-carbon logistics and technologies supporting the decarbonisation of transport

ELIGIBILITY

The applicant must:

• work for a legal entity located in the European Union, or in a country associated with the Single Market Programme, SME Pillar (3)
• have its (group) company/cluster headquarters in an EU/SMP country
• be supported by their head of department/CEO through a signed letter (in case they do not belong to senior management)
• be able to participate in the entire mission
• have a good command of English (recommended level B2 or higher)

Companies or clusters that are outside the scope of the defined sector/type-specific business mission will be rejected.

Companies and clusters are allowed to participate multiple times. If prior participation in a business mission has occurred, please clearly state in the application form the reason for reapplying and the expected benefits of participating again.

Applicants may be declined if they have previously cancelled their participation or were absent during part of a prior mission without a valid reason or have in any other way acted contrary to the guidelines of the mission, local laws, customs, and regulations or have disregarded the instructions of the Centre staff.

SELECTION

The Centre will evaluate applicants based on the following selection criteria:

• strategy and potential of their company/cluster regarding Japan
• relevance of their company/cluster for the topic of the mission and the targeted fair
• professional background of the applicant

The mission will accommodate a maximum of 16 participants. Other applicants who score at or above the average will be placed on a waitlist and ranked according to their scores. Only one application per company/cluster will be considered.

Please note that once selected, the applicant will be regarded as a participant in the business mission. Any changes to the participating employee from the selected company/cluster must be discussed with and approved by the EU-Japan Centre.

WHAT DO WE PROVIDE?

For all mission participants, the EU-Japan Centre will provide:

• Two online Business Training Modules (BTMs) scheduled prior to the mission
• Entrance fees for events and the trade fair covered by the mission
• A standardised display stand within the shared mission booth
• Assistance by EU-Japan Centre staff, such as for promotion and B2B meetings
• Professional interpreters at the mission booth and at the trade fair
• Translation of the poster and the company/cluster profile, as well as printing of the poster for the exhibition
• Tailored 1-to-1 meetings with Japanese counterparts arranged by the EU-Japan Centre
• Custom-built IP-related advice and Public Procurement Tender Scan (on-demand)
• Hotel accommodation, arranged by the EU-Japan Centre, from Monday 22 March to Friday 26 March 2027 (check-out morning)(*). All selected participants will be provided with the same room type.

(*) Accommodation dates are tentative and may be adjusted upon finalisation of the business mission schedule.

WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS NEED TO COVER?

All mission participants are responsible for covering:

• Flights and other travel expenses to the starting point of the mission in Japan and after completion of the mission
• Living expenses in Japan, including local transportation and meals

DEPOSIT AND CONTRIBUTION FEE

To secure their spot, all selected participants must pay a €1,000 deposit. This deposit will be refunded upon successful completion of full mission participation and submission of the required questionnaires.

Large companies (non-SMEs / non-clusters) must also pay a non-refundable contribution fee of €2,500 to secure their spot in the mission.

PENALTIES

In practice, the following penalties apply:

Last-minute cancellations made after confirming participation may result in the forfeiture of the deposit and, where applicable, the contribution fee. However, a refund is possible in cases of force majeure, such as natural disasters or other unforeseeable circumstances beyond the participant’s control.

Failure to attend the on-site mission (at the mission booth or mandatory on-site mission events): for each day that a participant is absent without a valid reason, €250 will be deducted from the deposit for this four-day mission.

Please submit your application by 8 December 2026.

We aim to inform applicants of the selection results around mid-December 2026.

Any questions? Please contact h.koyano@eu-japan.eu.

The organisation of the Green Business Mission is pending the receipt of an EU grant for the activities of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation for the period covering cycle 2026–2028 of the programme. Please therefore note that this call is subject to the award and signature of an EU Grant Agreement, and may therefore be adjusted or cancelled if necessary.