Analytical reports

The report is targeting EU-based small- and mid-sized companies (SMEs) that are manufacturing medical devices and seeking to enter the Japanese market or those aiming at strengthening their current positions in the Japanese market.

This report takes a look at digital transformation (DX) that has been a key and a growing topic over the past years, where Japan is no exception.

Success in Japan requires a deep and ongoing understanding of the consumer. By ‘marketing,’ the authors mean developing and adapting the offer to meet the needs of local consumers as well as encouraging them to buy, and repeat buy through communication and promotional activities.

Ten years of ‘happy marriage’ of the EU-Japan Centre with EEN

This report takes a look at Japan’s decarbonisation strategies, with a focus on the local and regional levels. At the core of the report are a few main research questions. First, what role do Japanese municipalities and regions play in the transition to a decarbonised society? How do cities understand this role, and what programs have been implemented in service of a commitment to a greener future? What opportunities exist for a diversity of actors—residents, governments, businesses—to collaborate on decarbonisation?

Japanese trading giant Marubeni invested in March 2021 in Skeleton Technologies, an Estonian startup manufacturing ultracapacitors, an essential component of high capacity energy storage devices. The two companies also entered a strategic partnership to expand the sales and distribution of ultracapacitors to the Japanese and Asian market, in sectors such as vehicle manufacturing, smart cities and distributed renewable energy systems.

The research, in short, aims to show how the pandemic has affected our industries so far, and how it will in the years to come.

Ciel & Terre, a European leader of floating solar technologies, and Minna Denryoku, an independant Japanese renewable energy retailer, teamed up in 2018 to produce and distribute renewable electricity from floating solar photovoltaic plants on agricultural ponds while financially supporting local farmers in Minamiawaji, in the west of Japan.

CMB (Compagnie Maritime Belge), a Belgian shipping and logistics company, has been working with Japanese shipping and shipbuilder Tsuneishi group since 2019. Together, they develop hydrogen-powered vessels for the Japanese market. Following their first realization, a 80-passenger hydrogen ferry, they announced in 2021 the establishment of a joint venture to accompany further projects.

Semiconductor industry is changing on a global scale and more and more European companies are presented with the incentives to join its global value chain. Japan remains one of the main global players in the semiconductor industry due to its robust electronics and IT markets.

Over time, Japan’s frozen food market is showing a growing trend. The retail sector experienced a large increase due to more home cooking. The report will provide information on recent trends and developments in the frozen food and ice cream market including possibilities for EU SMEs.

Japan has a flourishing premium food market which is one of the best in the world. Japanese demand for great tasting, high-quality and innovative food brands from EU firms remains very strong. In fact, because competition between retailers is intensifying, demand for new and exciting products from the EU not yet sold in Japan is increasing. There has never been a better time to sell to Japan.