First defence business mission to Japan starting new alliances for EU SMEs

The Japan Tax & Public Procurement (JTPP) Helpdesk of the EU-Japan Centre and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Japan co-organized the first Defence Business Mission to Japan in May. Twelve EU SMEs were selected from over 40 candidates to showcase their products at the three-day DSEI 2025 Japan defence exhibition at Makuhari Messe in Chiba.  
The participating companies are active in a variety of sectors, including drone manufacturing, drone countermeasure systems, personal protection solutions, fighting vehicle seating, telecommunications, gyro stabilization equipment, underwater cable protection, blast protection technologies, and cryptographic solutions.

The networking event at the start of the mission was well attended, with over 110 representatives from Japanese businesses and the defence community, EU companies already present in Japan, and officials from EU member states. Speakers from the Ministry of Defense's procuring agency ATLA, METI, and EU, and Japanese SMEs shared valuable insights into the sector. With the support of METI, 15 short pitches were delivered by mission participants as well as Japanese SMEs, all of which were well received by the audience.

The DSEI exhibition itself proved to be a dynamic three-day event, attracting high-ranking visitors from the Japanese defence community and major integrators, as well as dignitaries from the EU and Member States. Numerous new connections were also made with representatives from other Asian countries attending DSEI. With some participants already reporting concrete order requests, the first Defence Mission can be considered a success and is unlikely to be the last.