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is a joint venture co-financed by the European Commission and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Its aim is to foster the development of industrial cooperation between companies from both regions through training programmes for businesspeople, for EU and Japanese students and researchers, and through information services and an industrial dialogue. This quarterly newsletter is produced by the EU-based office of the EU-Japan Centre, and is primarily intended to provide EU/Japan-related news.

Centre's News

Upcoming Webinars “About Japan”

Webinar 167: Olive Oil Market in Japan
23 March 2021, 10:30 - 11:30 AM CET
The webinar is targeted to EU small- and mid-sized olive oil producers, bottling companies and exporters seeking to enter the Japanese olive oil market, or further strengthen current positions in Japan.

Webinar 168: EU-Japan.AI project (H2020)
25 March 2021, 10:30 - 11:30 AM CET
The webinar is targeted to enterprises, universities, solution providers, experts and professionals dealing with AI for manufacturing from EU and Japan seeking to engage in an open and informed dialogue about ...

Next EPA Webinars

These webinars are a part of the EU-Japan EPA Helpdesk. Each webinar will address a different topic or sector and will look at the changes the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement will make and the opportunities it will create.

EPA Helpdesk Webinar 32: Processed Agricultural Products
16 March 21 - 10:30 - 11:30 AM CET
The EPA offers important market access opportunities for EU PAPs exporters to Japan. Duties have been eliminated at the entry into force of the Agreement for some important products, while for other PAPs, duties will be eliminated over periods between ...

Latest Reports Released "About Japan"

New reports have been published by the Centre. They focus on the Japanese consumers’ behaviour and the opportunities in Convenience and Drugstores in Japan, give insights on the Smart Farming, Biogas and Olive Oil markets and much more.

Japanese Consumers' Behavior (by age and gender)Japanese Convenience Stores and Drugstores: Opportunities for European Snack and Beverage Products under CoronaSmart Farming Technology in Japan and Opportunities for EU CompaniesThe Market for Biogas Plants in Japan and Opportunities for EU Companies


More reports available on the website...

From EU

The European External Action Service turns 10

A decade of EU diplomacy

The launch of the EEAS on 1 January 2011 was a major step in the European integration process and in developing a common foreign policy.
In the decade that has followed, the EEAS – with all Delegations, missions and operations – has become an appreciated and acclaimed partner to all our interlocutors around the globe. We are the face of the EU in the world, working towards peace and security in a true team spirit. The past years have seen major and unprecedented shifts in international politics and the EEAS more than ever needs to prove its added val...

The EU and Japan trade deal celebrates second anniversary by further strengthening ties

The 1st of February marks the second anniversary of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The Joint Committee established under the Agreement, co-chaired by Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi, celebrates this anniversary by agreeing important improvements to the Agreement. Each side will see 28 additional Geographical Indications (GIs) protected and wine and vehicle trade between the two sides will become even easier than before.

The list of protected Geographical Indications (GIs) from EU countries ...

EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA): Business Survey Year 2 (Feb 2020 - Jan 2021)

The purpose of this Survey is for the EU to collect feedback on the impact of the EPA on EU businesses as well as to gather information on existing market access challenges that EU companies face when entering the Japanese market. The EU will use the results of this survey to improve the business climate for EU companies operating in Japan.

The survey can be found at this link. SURVEY DEADLINE: 30 April 2021

On twitter: EN tweet and JP tweet
FB post in both EN and JP
Delegation’s website: EN EPA page and JP EPA page

EU-Japan: Annual Joint Committee meeting reviews growing strategic partnership

Senior officials from the EU and Japan convened the third meeting of the EU-Japan Committee on 26 February 2021, which coordinates the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement. The meeting was held online. The EU and Japan reviewed the implementation of the agreement and identified the next steps for further strengthening their relationship. The meeting has helped to prepare the ground for a future bilateral summit meeting in Tokyo when conditions allow.
The Joint Committee meeting demonstrated the breadth of the Strategic Partnership, which has already significantly deepe...

Climate change, global response to COVID-19 discussed at 7th EU-Japan Development Dialogue

The seventh European Union (EU) – Japan Development Dialogue was held online on 5 February 2021, hosted by Japan.
The dialogue covered a wide range of global and regional issues, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, biodiversity loss, connectivity, and international cooperation in Africa and ASEAN. The participants also identified other areas for possible future cooperation.
The main participants from European Commission were the Directors-General Koen Doens (International Partnerships) and Raffaele Mauro Petriccione (Climate Action), while the Direct...

New Organic food legislation in the EU

New organic legislation is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2022, further to the Commission’s proposal to postpone its implementation for a year. The rules will reflect the changing nature of this rapidly growing sector. The new regulation is designed to ensure fair competition for farmers whilst preventing fraud and maintaining consumer trust through the following:

production rules will be simplified through the phasing out of a number of exceptions and opt outs;the control system will be strengthened thanks to tighter precautionary measures and robust checks along the entire s...

More doors opened up in Japan with EU Gateway | Business Avenues

Japan and the EU are long-standing economic partners. To mirror this bond, the EU Gateway | Business Avenues programme has targeted Japan for nearly 30 years. Since the launch in 1990, approximately 100 missions supported more than 3400 European companies to develop new business in Japan.
Between 2017 and 2020, the Programme rolled out a new batch of market scoping missions to the Land of the Rising Sun. 407 companies from 25 of the EU Member States joined one or more of the 11 EU-funded market scoping missions organised in key sectors.
Once again, the Programme supported particip...

PIMAP+, the European Strategic Cluster Partnership dedicated to SMEs internationalisation in Japan has been launched

Gathering six European clusters, ALPHA-RLH (coordinator, France), Produtech (Portugal), AFIL (Italy), Moravian Aerospace Cluster (Czech Republic), Triple Steelix (Sweden) and Business Joensuu (Finland), the European project PIMAP+ aims to strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation in the fields of photonics, advanced manufacturing, metalworking and aerospace industry.
The project focus on accelerating access to international markets for European SMEs in four markets: the US, Canada, China and Japan.
The six clusters have had solid relations with Japanese counterparts for years and int...

New ECCP website

The European Cluster Collaboration Platform launched its new website. ECCP mission is to be the European online hub for cluster stakeholders (cluster organisations, policymakers and other related stakeholders from the cluster ecosystem) and the reference one-stop-shop for stakeholders in third countries aiming to set up partnerships with European counterparts.

From Japan

EU-Japan News

Over 450 Japanese participants registered for Dutch Digital Economy Mission

The Netherlands organised a virtual economic mission on Digital Economy to Japan from 3-5 February with the support of partners such as Keidanren and JETRO.
Enterprise Europe Network partners – the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO) - worked together to provide support for companies and organisations participating through the virtual b2match platform. A total of 455 Japanese and 80 Dutch participants tuned into webinars by industry experts and pitches from Dutch mission companies about various topics related to smart agriculture, services, ...

Enabling New Opportunities for the Global Inspection & Maintenance Robotics Industry [Asia-Pacific edition]

The webinar organised by SPRINT Robotics aimed at providing insights to industry professionals to engage with the existing Inspection & Maintenance Robotics ecosystem and explore how to collaboratively develop this community by highlighting use cases from Japan and overseas.

TechBIZKON IV- held as a hybrid Event

On 2 December 2020, TechBIZKON IV, a startup/investor pitching and conference event jointly organised by Advantage Austria Tokyo, Business Finland and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan) took place at Venture Café Tokyo and via livestream under the title: “Connected Industries - Time to Scale up”.
The event consisted of high-level panel discussions and a startup pitching with voting competition featuring twelve startups three each from Austria, Finland, Germany and Japan. Some of the speakers where in Tokyo while others attended via live video conferencing...

The Network News

The Network offers & requests

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR: Nanotechnology

Japanese company specialised in high precision photolithography is looking for partners in the EU.
 

BOJP20210115001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR OR AGENT: Industrial equipment

A Japanese manufacturer is offering its high resistant pipe fittings.
 


BOJP20201201001

LICENSING AND MANUFACTURING OFFER: Construction

Japanese plastic drainage parts manufacturer for kitchen sinks and bathrooms is seeking licensees and commission manufacturers in the EU.

BOJP20200221002

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR: Clothing

A Japanese manufacturer of wearable protective equipment is looking to bring their packable boots to the EU.

BOJP20191129001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR OR AGENT: Fashion

A Japanese manufacturer of modern silk made fashion products proud of its traditional craftsmanship seeks partners in Italy, France, and Germany.

BOJP20200123001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTORS - Sector: Toys

Japanese producer of wooden toys for babies and children is looking for distribution partners.

BOJP20200221003

REQUEST FOR TECHNOLOGY: Industrial equipment, food

Japanese company looking for food-loss prevention technologies, and to co-develop a bottle cap with measuring capabilities.

TRJP20210204001

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFERED: Medical device

Japanese patented technology for fundamental mechanism of peristaltic pumps.

TOJP20200210001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR: Nanotechnology

Japanese company specialised in high precision photolithography is looking for partners in the EU.
 

BOJP20210115001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR OR AGENT: Industrial equipment

A Japanese manufacturer is offering its high resistant pipe fittings.
 


BOJP20201201001

LICENSING AND MANUFACTURING OFFER: Construction

Japanese plastic drainage parts manufacturer for kitchen sinks and bathrooms is seeking licensees and commission manufacturers in the EU.

BOJP20200221002

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR: Clothing

A Japanese manufacturer of wearable protective equipment is looking to bring their packable boots to the EU.

BOJP20191129001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR OR AGENT: Fashion

A Japanese manufacturer of modern silk made fashion products proud of its traditional craftsmanship seeks partners in Italy, France, and Germany.

BOJP20200123001

REQUEST FOR DISTRIBUTORS - Sector: Toys

Japanese producer of wooden toys for babies and children is looking for distribution partners.

BOJP20200221003

REQUEST FOR TECHNOLOGY: Industrial equipment, food

Japanese company looking for food-loss prevention technologies, and to co-develop a bottle cap with measuring capabilities.

TRJP20210204001

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFERED: Medical device

Japanese patented technology for fundamental mechanism of peristaltic pumps.

TOJP20200210001

Calendar

Date/location Details Contacts
23
Mar
2021
Online
WEBINAR ABOUT JAPAN
Webinar 167: Olive Oil Market in Japan
EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Url
25
Mar
2021
Online
WEBINAR ABOUT JAPAN
About Japan webinar 168: EU-Japan.AI project (H2020)
EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Url
27
Mar
2021
Online
WEBINAR (IT)
WEBINAR (IT): The furniture sector: synergies between Italy and Japan
Mondo Internazionale
Url
30
Mar
2021
Online
EPA WEBINAR
EPA Helpdesk Webinar 33: Tariff Rate Quotas
EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Url
13
Apr
2021
Online
EPA WEBINAR
EPA Helpdesk Webinar 34: Fruits and Vegetables

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Url
26
Apr
2021
Online
SYMPOSIUM
DJW Symposium 2021 Online: “Yesterday’s future, tomorrow’s trends – perspectives for the Japanese-German economic relations” part I

DJW
Url
27
Apr
2021
Online
EPA WEBINAR
EPA Helpdesk Webinar 35: Textiles

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Url
11
May
2021
Online
EPA WEBINAR
EPA Helpdesk Webinar 36: Leather and Footwear Products

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Url