Japan and Germany launch SME business support programme in Tokyo and North Rhine-Westphalia

The leading economic regions of Germany and Japan, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Tokyo, have launched a cooperation programme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). On 31 May, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of NRW (MWIDE) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, representing Japan’s most important economic region, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support small and medium-sized enterprises from NRW and Tokyo in entering their markets, creating new opportunities and FDI for both regions.

North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), one of the most important economic regions in Europe, boasts Germany's strongest economic output (GDP), largest population, and highest foreign direct investment (FDI). More than 160 million people live within a radius of 500 kilometers around the state capital Düsseldorf, representing almost one third of all consumers and 45 percent of purchasing power in the EU. With around 650 Japanese companies, NRW is the leading investment location for Japanese companies in Continental Europe.
To inform Japanese companies about NRW/Germany and its cities and regions as a best location for business, NRW.Global Business, the Trade & Investment Agency of the German State of NRW, organised the online event series “NRW Cities and Regions: Your Business in Germany and Europe starts here!”. The participating cities Aachen, Bochum, Düsseldorf, Essen, Cologne, Krefeld, and the Rhine County Neuss in NRW presented themselves in late September and early October 2021 to highlight their location advantages, successful industries and attractive markets.
“Kick-off” events hosted in Tokyo by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on 18 October and in North Rhine-Westphalia by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of NRW on 28 October serve to inform participants and all interested stakeholders about the special features of the cooperation and the business and investment opportunities in both NRW/Germany as well as in Japan.
Further steps in the cooperation and promotion programme for 2021/22 include, among others, the joint participation at the Tokyo International Industry Exhibition in November 2021, several workshops for Japanese SME in December 2021 and January 2022, as well as the visit of Japanese SME to North Rhine-Westphalia. Further information about the MoU, the programme and the participating cities and regions can be found here (in Japanese):

Contact:
Georg Löer, Representative Director & President, NRW.Global Business Japan, NRW Japan K.K.  E-Mail
Astrid Becker, General Manager, Asia / Australia, NRW.Global Business GmbH E-Mail

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On picture 1:
From left to right: Felix Neugart, CEO NRW.Global Business; Kiminori Iwama, Consul General of the Japanese Consulate in Düsseldorf; Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; Karl-Uwe Bütof, Head of Department “Location Marketing and Development“ (VIII) Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. ©MWIDE NRW/Susanne Kurz.