Official Mission to Japan

The Chamber of Commerce of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in close cooperation with the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Luxembourg Embassy to Japan and the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in Tokyo will be organising a multi-sectoral mission to Japan. The delegation will be led by H.E. Mr. Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and H.E. Mr. Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance. It will take place from November 26^th to December 1^st, 2017.

Japan is the third largest economy after the United States and China, and one of the most advanced economies in the world. It has a domestic market of 127 million people with a purchasing power among the highest in the world. Japan’s competitiveness is based on its technological advancement, its social cohesion and its integration into Asian economies. Whilst Japan only represents 1.7% of the world population, it contributes 20% of the world’s R&D budget.

Since the world economic crisis of 2009, Japan has completely reviewed its economic model and internationalisation strategy. Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to power, he introduced an audacious set of economic policies dubbed "Abenomics" that combine fiscal expansion, monetary easing, structural reform and aims to improve the country’s prospects by increasing competition, reforming labor markets, and expanding trade partnerships. After four years of negotiations, Japan and the European Union have concluded an ambitious free trade agreement called “JEFTA” on July 6^th 2017, intended to facilitate and increase the exchange of goods and services, as well as to provide European companies with business opportunities.

Japan is searching for high quality products and innovative services. There are opportunities in many sectors: automotive, ICT, nano-technologies, energy, environment, life sciences, etc. After launching a programme called society 5.0, Japan will further increase its spending on technological projects such as autonomous driving cars, drone deliveries and interconnected electric equipment. In addition, intelligent housing, IoT, finance and industry related R&D are on the rise. The green energy sector is a particular subject of discussions in anticipation of the Summer Olympics (Tokyo 2020). In conjunction with the upcoming sporting event, the transport infrastructure will be subject to improvements and expansions, while the necessary cyber-security framework will be put in place. With one of the highest proportion of non-active populations in the world, the “Silver economy” is thriving in the Land of the Rising Sun. Last but not least, Japan is home to many prodigies in the field of video animation and world renowned anime production studios.

The programme of the mission will include sectoral workshops, official receptions, networking events, company visits and pre-arranged individual business meetings with Japanese companies upon request. The mission is open to all sectors of activity. Nevertheless, a special focus will be put on audiovisual production (animation), automotive, ICT, logistics, space, sustainable finance and tourism. Please note that for companies interested in visiting Taiwan, the mission can also be extended in order to attend the Luxembourg-Taiwan Business Council that will take place in Taiwan (with a focus on similar sectors, exempting audiovisual production). A separate invitation and programme will follow.

Interested companies are kindly requested to duly complete the online registration form (including a draft programme) no later than September 1^st. This is very important, especially for companies requesting pre-arranged individual business meetings. After this date, business meetings cannot be guaranteed. The cancellation fee will be 200 €.

In order to prepare your participation, the Chamber of Commerce of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will be organising a country seminar in its premises in Luxembourg-Kirchberg on Thursday September 21^st, 2017. The programme and online registration form for the country seminar are available here. Companies that are interested in knowing more about Japan but do not intend to participate in the mission are also welcome to participate in the country seminar.

For additional information about these events, feel free to contact the team of the International Affairs (contact persons: Violaine Mathurin 42 39 39 – 481 & Na Shi 42 39 39 -364 – japan2017(at)cc.lu).