Activities of the EU-Japan Centre in a nutshell

ABOUT THE CENTRE
The Centre is a joint venture established in 1987 by the European Commission (DG GROW) and the Japanese Government (METI) for promoting all forms of industrial, trade and investment cooperation between the EU and Japan. It is jointly funded and managed by both sides. It has its head office in Tokyo and an office in Brussels.

BUSINESS SERVICES

BUSINESS & MATCHMAKING MISSIONS TO JAPAN: 3-5 days sectoral business support missions are organised every year in Japan for EU Clusters and SMEs in biotech, digital, nanotech and green economy. Include exhibiting and one-on-one meetings at a targeted trade fair
INTELLIGENCE ON MARKETS & OPPORTUNITIES IN JAPAN: The "EU Business in Japan" project offers information and reports on a wide range of Japanese business sectors, on regulations and Japanese business culture. Over 400 reports and webinars are already available
BUSINESS PARTNERING IN JAPAN: The EU-Japan Centre is the contact point in Japan of the "Enterprise Europe Network" (EEN).
- Global EEN website
- EEN Japan
INTERNATIONAL JOINT PROJECTS: Helpdesk for EU Japan business cooperation in foreign markets
HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE EU-JAPAN EPA: The "EPA Helpdesk" supports and guides EU SMEs in their search for relevant information
HOSTING A JAPANESE ENGINEERING STUDENT IN INDUSTRY IN THE EU: One-year "Vulcanus" programme in Europe
- EU based host companies
- Japanese students
TEMPORARY OFFICE IN JAPAN: "Step in Japan" is a support initiative for SMEs, offered free of charge:
PROMOTING YOUR PRODUCTS / SERVICES IN JAPAN (organic food / green / digital)
- EUfood2Japan - supports EU SMEs producers of organic food seeking to export their products to Japan
- EUdigital2Japan - supports EU SMEs in the digital sector to export to Japan
- EUgreen2japan - supports EU SMEs in the green transition sector to export to Japan
OPPORTUNITIES IN JAPANESE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT: The "Tax & Public Procurement Helpdesk" provides a wide range of services in the areas of public procurement and tax issues in Japan
INVEST IN EU HUB: The "Invest in EU Hub" is a service to promote Japanese investments in the EU. It will ‘signpost’ potential Japanese investors and other stakeholders to relevant sources of information and resources at EU-level and in EU27 member-states.

POLICY RELATED ACTIVITIES

EU-JAPAN BUSINESS ROUND TABLE: The "EU-Japan Business Round Table" (BRT) fosters communication between the Japanese and European industries, and submits recommendations to the Japanese and European authorities
JAPANESE INDUSTRY AND POLICY NEWS: By screening various Japanese language sources of potential interest, including newly released policy documents, surveys, and official statements, this newsletter aims to provide information in the context of EU-Japan industrial cooperation
POLICY REPORTS: The EU-Japan Centre commissions occasional "Minerva" reports on policy intelligence issues aimed at helping EU industry and authorities understand recent trends and developments in Japan in different market segments.
EU & JAPAN POLICY SEMINARS: The Centre's webinars and workshops both in Europe and Japan cover a wide range of issues including circular economy, Green x digital, SMEs, food safety, public procurement, EPA, regions & clusters, connectivity

TRAINING PROGRAMMES

INDUSTRIAL INTERNSHIPS IN JAPAN: Be an intern in a Japanese company. One-year "Vulcanus" programme in Japan.
- EU students
- Japan based host companies
JAPANESE BUSINESS CULTURE AND PRACTICES: 2-week "Get Ready for Japan" scheme in Tokyo
CROSS CULTURAL & MARKET ACCESS WORKSHOPS: Online or onsite workshops in the EU to introduce EU companies to the basic principles of Japanese business culture and industrial sectors.Organized in cooperation with Member States local organizations.
JAPANESE MANUFACTURING EXPERTISE:
- 5-day World Class Manufacturing training mission in Japan.

R&D, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND SPACE COOPERATION

R&D PARTNERS IN JAPAN: The Centre is the "National Contact Point" in Japan for the EU programmes “Horizon 2020” and its successor "Horizon Europe" to promote research cooperation and support participation of Japanese organisations
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND IP: The "EU-Japan Innovation & Technology Cooperation Helpdesk " supports EU and Japanese companies and individuals in their steps to search for and acquire technologies

INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS AND REGIONS

MOBILISING CLUSTERS, REGIONS, CITIES, PREFECTURES IN THE EU AND JAPAN: The EU-Japan Regional & Cluster Cooperation Helpdesk help entities at local level to learn from existing cooperation, and promote new ones in a wide range of topics in terms of industry, trade, investment, innovation, tourism, and people mobility

COMMUNICATION & COOPERATION

COORDINATION WITH THE EU MEMBER STATES TPOs "TEAM EUROPE": The Centre organises regular meetings with all the EU Member States Trade Promotion Organizations present in Japan for sharing information, ensuring complementarities, and developing joint actions
NEWSLETTERS: The Centre currently produces 5 newsletters
LIBRARY: Analytical reports; reports on events, videos
SOCIAL NETWORKS: Twitter: @EUJapanCentre ; @ManuelHubert (Manuel Hubert, General Manager) / LinkedIn / Youtube / Instagram
EVENTS: upcoming events
TO KEEP YOU INFORMED: To be kept informed about some of our support services, fill in the following form or email us
HELPDESK: Any query about Japan

EU-Japan Centre's News

Events

08/07/2025

Action Plan on Economic Security: Strengthening Industrial and Technological Foundations

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation Zoom WebinarAction Plan on Economic Security: Strengthening Industrial and Technological Foundations – EU-Japan Initiatives and Opportunities for…

14/07/2025

Brussels to Tokyo: Legal Roadmaps for AI Compliance, Regulation, and Governance

As AI storms industry and captures headlines, the EU lit the first torch with Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on July 12, 2024, prompting other jurisdictions to set their own rules. On May 28, 2025, Japan…