EU-JAPAN News Dcem E Ber 2012 I 4 VOL 10

EU-JAPAN news dcem e ber 2012 I 4 VOL 10

EU-Japan Centre 25th anniversary publication I n Search for Growth: Towards a New Role for SMES in EU-Japan Relations T his publication specifically marks the new strategic focus of the Centre on SMEs for the coming years. The topic of SME internationalisation is approached from several angles and perspectives. The issue of trade and market access to Japan is extensively treat- ed, including views from industrial sectors as diverse as aerospace and footwear, and the cross-cultural aspects are also tackled.

The recent EU policy strategy is analysed and the publication is further en- riched with the inclusion of two recent seminar reports on specific aspects of SME internationalisation. The picture is further completed by the results of a survey on obstacles, opportunities and the needs of support conducted among a sample of European SMEs investing or wishing to expand in Japan, and by a number of testimonials from SMEs which benefited from the Centre’s training programmes and subse- quently made it “Big in Japan”. Since the publication is built upon opinions of authors with different professional backgrounds (policy makers, academics, business consultants) and levels of experience with Japan, the content might appear uneven at times but yet even more relevant for the diversity of views and issues that are part of the EU-Japan “mosaic”. The publication will be available online at the below link: http://documents.eu-japan.eu/media/publications/sme_25years.pdf

in this issue

• Calls for applications: is a joint venture co-financed by the European 4-week Human Resources Training Programme in Japan Commission and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Its aim 1-week World Class Manufacturing mission to Japan is to foster the development of industrial 1-year Students Exchange Programme - Vulcanus in Japan cooperation between companies from • Council agrees to launch free trade negotiations with Japan both regions through training programmes for businesspeople, for EU and Japanese • European Commission adopts 2013 Work Programme students and researchers, and through • 15th Japan-EU Conference information services and an industrial • Aichi Prefecture: pillar of Japan’s industry dialogue. • European companies succeeding in Japan This quaterly newsletter is produced by the • Enterprise Europe Network latest Japan-related news and opportunities EU-based office of the EU-Japan Centre, • News in brief and events calendar and is primarily intended to provide EU/Japan-related news. from centre EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 2

S trategies for Promoting the Internationalisation of J- Bilat Final Seminar Small & Medium Enterprises in the EU and Japan T okyo, Japan, 6 December 2012 T okyo, Japan, 21 November 2012 “EU-Japan Cooperation and Various Phases of Science, Technology and SMEs are considered as an impor- In the first part of the seminar, speakers Innovation: Sharing Vision and Scope tant source of growth and jobs in both from the EU and Japanese public authori- for Reinforcement of Reciprocity”. European and Japanese economies, ties presented the latest developments and “going international” is one factor in SME policy and highlighted the obser- The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Co- for enhancing SMEs’ growth potential. vations and rationales behind the cur- operation has been promoting Japanese Promoting the internationalisation of SMEs rent policy objectives. In the second ses- participation in the EU’s 7th Framework is becoming increasingly important as a sion, perspectives from industry were Programme (FP7) through the J-BILAT policy priority in both the EU and Japan. presented to identify best practices, suc- project since January 2010. cess stories and policy recommendations. In this final event within the J-BILAT, The main issues discussed in framework project various aspects and the seminar made it clear that phases of EU-Japan cooperation in sci- Europe and Japan share many ence, technology and innovation (STI) has common elements when it been reviewed with the objective of shar- comes to SMEs and therefore ing visions towards further reinforcement there are many areas for pos- of EU-Japan cooperation in STI. sible cooperation. There were also observations that, for European SMEs targeting http://www.j-bilat.eu/seminar/AS-en_5 the Japanese market, extra challenges exist as Japan continues to be perceived as a “different” and difficult market. Workshop The EU-Japan Centre organised a seminar B russels, Belgium, 27 November 2012 on this issue for the first time in Tokyo with The EU-Japan Centre has worked for 25 the objective to set in motion an EU-Japan years to play a role in “demystifying” the Japanese market and will continue to rein- T he challenges and business oppor- policy exchange process on this topic of tunities for EU SMEs in Japan and mutual interest. Nearly 130 stakeholders force its activities and services for helping European and Japanese SMEs find oppor- how intermediary organisations can attended the event, including representa- help SMEs seize them. tives of Japanese regional prefectures (Ao- tunities in each other’s markets. A full re- mori, Chiba, Fukuoka, Hyogo, Kanagawa, port and presentations of the seminar are Miyagi, Nagasaki, Shiga, Yamagata) and available at: cities (Hamamatsu, Himeji, Kita-Kyushu, http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/ Kobe, Omura, Sagamihara, Saitama, Tsu). events/internationalisation_ sme_21112012.html?year=2012

EU-Japan Partnership for the Future -Economic Partnership Agreement and Business Activities B russels, Belgium, 25 October 2012 T his workshop looked at why Japan should be an attractive market for Euro- Following opening remarks by Prof. pean SMEs; the issues they face when ex- Takamoto Sugisaki (Tsuda College), porting or investing there, how support Jonathan Peel welcomed participants strategies should be rethought to ensure on behalf of the EESC before Prof. that SMEs get effective help; the results Toshiro Tanaka (Keio University & EUSI) of a survey of the views of SMEs that are gave the keynote address entitled: “EU- currently actively engaged with Japan or Japan Relations: from Trade Conflicts have a strong intention to do so; and sup- to Strategic Partners”. Antonio Parenti port programmes organised and run by (European Commission, DG TRADE) the European Commission, the EU-Japan and H.E. Kojiro Shiojiri (Mission of Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the to the EU) summarised the views and role for the Enterprise Europe Network. strategies of their respective authorities and answered questions from the audience. On the very day on which the European Participants heard the experiences of a Parliament voted in favour of the opening European who has been in Japan for 30 In the final session, Carsten Dannöhl of trade negotiations with Japan, and one years and of a Slovenian SME that has presented the view of BUSINESSEUROPE month before the Council is scheduled to established a subsidiary in Japan, togeth- and Koshi Noguchi presented the view decide whether or not to grant the Europe- er with the views of other experts from of Toshiba, with particular emphasis on an Commission a negotiating mandate, the Japan and Europe. EU Studies Institute in Tokyo (EUSI) and the how an EPA/FTA might affect the firm’s EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation healthcare division. organised a seminar. This event, hosted by the European Economic & Social Commit- tee (EESC), traced the history of EU-Japan http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/ http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/ trade relations and looked forward to what events/partnership_future_semi- events/sme_internationalisa- form future trade relations might take. nar_25102012.html?year=2012 tion_27112012.html?year=2012 from centre EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 3

Call for Applications C RAll FO APPLICATIONS 1 Week World Class Manufacturing 4/5 weeks training programme in Japan for EU managers T raining Missions in Japan

D ate: 7 May - 31 May/7June 2013 World Class Manufacturing is a training Application deadline: 28 February 2013 mission in Japan for EU managers working in manufacturing companies. T he “Human Resources Training Programme - Japan Industry Insight” (HRTP) lasts WCM I: Training dates: 01 - 05 July 2013 - four to five weeks and offers EU executives with a unique opportunity to experi- Application deadline: ence and understand both the cultural and economic elements which define and Thursday, 28 March 2013 explain Japan’s business and technological achievements. The HRTP programme was designed to improve on a constant basis the latest expectations about the WCM II: Training dates: 15 - 19 October business situation in Japan, as well as providing a professional Japan related ex- 2013 - Application deadline: Thursday, 7 June 2013 pertise to EU businessmen.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE GROUP COMPANY VISITS COURSES A wide range of companies is carefully The course is designed to provide par- selected, ranging from car manufac- ticipants with basic Japanese commu- turers to traditional «Sake» breweries. nication skills (Business and daily life), comprising an introduction to the lan- NEW CONDITIONS guage structure and its complexity. A for participating EU companies: strong emphasis is placed on the im- portance of knowing how something SMEs are eligible for a grant from the is said, especially regarding European Commission to cover costs The training mission in Japan provides with: aspects such as age, gender, hierarchi- related to transportation and lodging - In-depth analysis of Japanese manufac- cal position and situation. expenses in Japan: €3000 and have no turing methodology; tuition fee to pay. - Lectures, seminars and panel discus- JOINT SESSION WITH JAPANESE BUSI- A tuition fee €1000 will be asked for sions, presented by experts from Japa- NESS PEOPLE non SMEs nese industry; - Company and factory floor G( emba) visits; During the session HRTP-participants - Preparation and post-visit reviews. can discuss about their experiences with Japanese executives (in small No tuition fee for SMEs and the European groups). Some of the exercises include Commission grants €600 scholarships to http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/ participants from SMEs. decision-making, team management business-training/human-resources- and negotiation role-plays. training-programme.html

Te stimonial

Joining HRtp was a great decision. The programme has been very useful for my professional and personal development. Company wise, I would say that the main benefit is to have a better under- standing of the uniqueness of the Japa- Jean- François CLAUDE http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/ nese society and the impact it has on how Branch Manager business-training/world-class-manufacturing.html Japanese companies are ruled. Arkamys (FR)

Being immersed in Japan during 4 weeks will also help me ease the communication with our Japanese customers/prospects. It should, I hope, result in increasing our Call for tender business presence in Japan. We have a Call for tender to perform auditing pro- short/mid-term plan to set up an office in cedures on the cost reporting of the FP 7 Tokyo and I also got many answers dur- project entitled “J-BILAT” ing HRTP program on how to do go for it, More details on: mainly on a legal aspect. http://documents.eu-japan.eu/ Joint session meeting during the Programme JBILATAuditor.pdf from centre EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 4

EU Cluster Mission to Japan F rom 12 to 15 November 2012, a delegation with Japanese actors of the sector (Fukuoka composed of 17 participants representing i3 Center for Organic Photonics and Elec- the most innovative European clusters and tronic Research, Yamaguchi Green Valley, SMEs in the field of Green Materials and Tokai Region Nanotechnology Manufactur- Clean Technology came to Japan, during ing Cluster), visits to local companies (Key- the Green Innovation Expo 2012 in order to stone Technology Inc., Kawasaki Biomass establish contacts with Japanese clusters Co., Ltd) and culminated in 2 days of the and SMEs in view of further collaboration. Green Innovation Expo 2012 where a common EU booth presented the clusters, SMEs The mission was supported by the Euro- and ongoing internationalisation projects pean Commission in the framework of an such as the WIINTECH project. initiative promoting international cluster cooperation for SMEs, and co-organised by The mission helped the European partici- the EU-Japan Centre and Fondation Sophia pants to establish a first contact with clus- Antipolis, with the support from inno TSD ters and SMEs in Japan and it also created and ERAI regarding the organisation and synergies between the different European the follow-up, and Clusterland and Zenith clusters and SMEs representatives who ensuring the promotion of the event. spent a few exciting days together in Japan.

The mission included presentations of the cleantech environment in Japan by Japa- http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/ nese and European experts: encounters business-training/cluster-support- mission.htmll

V ulcanus in Japan – Student exchange programme SVUR EY for EU SMEs Application open for EU students A re you a SME who works or wishes to work with/in Japan? My year on the Vul- The second part of the internship took me canus programme to Kudamatsu City in Yamaguchi Prefecture. What better business support would you was awesome! Working for a traditional Japanese com- need? pany, Hitachi Rail gave me such an au- The experiences I had thentic experience, which would not have The EU-Japan Centre is conducting a sur- and the amazing peo- been possible if it wasn’t for the EU-Japan vey among EU SMEs who may be encoun- ple that I got to know Centre. Working there I was able to tering difficulties when working or wish- made it the most become a member of the international ing to work with or in Japan and we would memorable year of project team and help design a new train greately appreciate receiving your feed- my life. for England (Intercity Express Program), back by filling in this online questionnaire: partaking in a big project and given real http://goo.gl/GBGyj James Matthews, responsibility. This enabled me to use a lot participant 2011-12, UK of engineering knowledge from university Your kind help will enable EU authorities Host company: Hitachi Rail and learn a lot about international business to help business support services map Upon moving to Japan my main goal was in a large company. My work colleagues closely to your exact needs and require- to gain a sufficient level of Japanese lan- were also extremely friendly. Apart from ments, and allow you to be notified of new guage and through that, make friends and the many nomikai (drinking parties), they support as soon as it becomes available. learn about Japanese culture first-hand. took me on trips, including snowboarding The intensive training received by the in Hiroshima and a 6-hour bike ride from http://goo.gl/GBGyj Naganuma school certainly helped me Honshu to Shikoku. achieve this and together with other Vul- canus participants, I was able to advance The Vulcanus programme has also opened rapidly. The teaching method at the lan- up many doors and opportunities for me, guage school was intense, but it just made as I advance on to the next stage of my Bz i Tips! me more motivated to go that extra step, career: working as a sales engineer for Contract negotiation which led me to take the Japanese Lan- Village Island Asia in Singapore. guage ProficiencyT est level 3 and succeed. (http://www.village-island.com/en/com- I n Japan, decisions are not taken alone, pany_profile/message.html) but collectively. Therefore during nego- The language course was done in Tokyo, tiations, it is advisable to inform the Japa- which was perfect as you could immedi- Created by a former Vulcanus in Japan par- nese side of new developments in good ately practice what you had learnt through ticipant (Michael Van Dorpe), this successful time, so they can vote internally and dis- everyday interactions and socialising with and rapidly developing company will allow creetly. In any case, avoid unexpected Japanese people at bars and clubs. What me to build upon my talents and make use surprise revelations during negotiation – was also great is that I was able to learn a of the experience and knowledge gained if this happens, expect the hearing to be lot about cultures from fellow countries in from my year in Japan. postponed. Europe from other Vulcanus participants, as we spent a lot of time together in class S ource: EU-Japan Centre’s “Distribution and Best Practices in Japan 2010” mission report and outside. http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/vulcanus-in-japan.html from eu EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 5

European Commission Adopts Council Agrees to Launch Free Trade Negotiations with Japan 2013 Work Programme O n the 29 November, the Council of the European Union approved a mandate for the European Commission to negotiate a free trade agreement with Japan. It also authorised I n his State of the Union address on 12 the opening of negotiations with Japan on a framework agreement. September, President Barroso set out an These agreements will be negotiated in parallel and will create a strengthened overall ambitious vision for the EU. The overarch- framework for the EU’s relations with Japan. ing task remains to return the EU to sustainable growth. This is the number one Both mandates are composed of a decision of the Council and a decision of the represent- task, and it requires new thinking and atives of the member states authorising the opening of negotiations, as well as directives targeted action in a limited number of for the negotiation of the agreements. Japan is the EU’s seventh-largest trading partner while the EU is Japan’s third-largest trading key policy areas. The Commission Work partner, with 3.6 % and 11 % respectively of each other’s trade in goods in 2011. Programme (CWP) 2013 sets out how the Commission will work to this end for the The Council’s decision to launch the negotiations follows a “scoping” exercise that was next year and beyond. conducted jointly by the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Japa- The Commission Work Programme (CPW) nese authorities between May 2011 and May 2012, in order to define the potential scope and level of ambition of an agreement. summarises the objectives for the Union The negotiating directives foresee a free trade agreement that would provide for the pro- in seven key areas and sets out what is gressive and reciprocal liberalisation of trade in goods, services and investment, as well as missing today. It then explains how the rules on trade-related issues and the elimination of non-tariff barriers. Commission will tackle these objectives: The negotiating directives for a framework agreement cover political, global and sectoral by taking forward key initiatives already cooperation in a comprehensive manner. on the table, by making new proposals, S ource: Council of the European Union http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ and by ensuring that the benefits of re- uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ form are carried through to citizens by ef- er/133907.pdf fective implementation. President Barroso said: “In my State of the Union address, I proposed a decisive deal for Europe. This involves huge change for I CT Dialogue in Tokyo Europe. But this Work Programme shows how the Commission is working day by T he 19th EU-Japan ICT Dialogue took day to take the steps needed. 2013 will place in Tokyo on 14 November and was be a crucial year for showing our citizens followed by an internet security work- that the EU is leading the way in taking the shop on the following day. The meet- credible, concrete steps needed to lead us ing was co-chaired by Deputy Director General Zoran Stancic of the European out of the crisis and build the right spring- Commission (DG CONNECT) and Director board for future sustainable growth.” General Shun Sakurai of the Ministry of In- Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, responsible ternal Affairs and Communications Japan. for Interinstitutional Relations and Admin- Director General Shun Sakurai and istration, said: “These are crucial years for Deputy Director General Zoran Stancic Europe. The steps we take over the next few Both sides presented an update of their respective policy initiatives on a number of areas, years will decide our future path. There is no including internet governance, cloud computing, research frameworks, healthy ageing, silver bullet to solve our current problems, as well as a safer internet for children. Recent Japanese and EU initiatives in the e-privacy but we at the EU level can at least help to field were also discussed. show a lead. That is why the 2013 Commission Work Programme concentrates on Europe The legislative approaches in that area differ in so far as Japan‘s “Smartphone Privacy pulling together to encourage growth and Initiative” is targeting specifically smartphones while the EU prefers to be techno- get more people back into work.” logically neutral in its e-privacy initiative. Regarding R&D cooperation, the current cooperation on the coordinated call on the Future Internet was reviewed and noted The Commission Work Programme 2013 to be progressing in a satisfactory matter with the call having been published recently. can be found at: Moreover, a number of ideas for future cooperation have already been flagged. http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/pro- Finally, market access and regulatory issues were also discussed and the EU side stressed grammes/index_en.htm their view that an independent regulator is crucial in a sector where the incumbent For more information see also: provider still enjoys a dominant position. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12- Apart from the official meetings with the Japanese authorities, European Commission of- 1131_en.htm ficials also took the opportunity of theirT okyo visit for side meetings with both European http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_ and Japanese industry representatives in order to discuss the situation of the EU and the SPEECH-12-756_en.htm Japanese ICT markets. S ource: European Commission S ource: Delegation of the European Union to Japan

A mended Regulation Governing Imports of Japanese food and feed from 1st November T he new regulation (EU) No 996/2012 is available: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:299:0031:0041:EN:PDF from EU EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 6

EU-funded Executive Training Programme in Japan EU Exceeds Research Funding European Managers on the Executive Training Programme to build Business Target for SMEs Ties with Asia T he European Commission has undoubt- edly paid special attention to the funding for SMEs under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) so far, and intends to continue to do so. In addition to the SME-specific measures under the Capac- ity programme (through the scheme “Research for the Benefit of SMEs”), the Decision establishing FP7 as a matter of fact provides for a target of at least 15% of the funding of the cooperation Executive Training Programme for Japan and Korea Attendees 2012 programme to go to SMEs.

46 European managers have been selected The recently revised programme begins By the end of September 2012, SMEs by the European Commission to follow its with a three-week introductory course at made up 18.5% of all participations on Executive Training Programme in Japan the School of Oriental and African Studies and Korea. This year’s intake includes par- (SOAS), University of London, where partic- the Cooperation programme. ticipants from 13 EU member states spon- ipants learn about the East Asian economy, sored by companies keen to export to Ja- history, culture and modern society. Fol- The report also provides in-depth statistics pan and Korea. During the programme the lowing the European module, participants about the composition of project con- participants will refine their business plan move to Japan or Korea for a 30-week busi- sortia: 74.5% of all the grant agreements and gain useful language, business and ness, management and language training involve at least one SME and 11.1% of all cultural skills to successfully operate in Ja- programme run by leading universities. the projects have a SME as its coordina- pan and Korea. tor. The average EU contribution going to Participants then get a unique opportunity SMEs participating in thematic research The Executive Training Programme is fund- to apply their newly acquired skills and projects so far has been about €275,000 ed by the European Union. It has support- knowledge in practice during a 12-week in- per project. ed European managers and companies in ternship in a local company. The EU funds developing their business and resources in the entire training course and provides a Full report at: Japan and Korea for 33 years, and to date scholarship for each participant of €26,400 more than 800 companies have sponsored a year for Japan and €24,000 for Korea. http://ec.europa.eu/research/sme-tech- managers to participate in the programme. The European Commission is now seeking web/pdf/sme_participaton_in_fp7_ Given the ambitious EU trade strategy candidates for the 2013/2014 cycle of the pro- oct_2012.pdf with Korea and Japan, the programme will gramme. The deadline for applications is 31 continue to play an instrumental role in May 2013. The training cycle will run from No- strengthening the presence of EU compa- vember 2013 to November 2014. nies in these markets that offer enormous EU executives and their sponsor companies I nnovation Performance of 190 untapped potential for EU businesses. can apply by submitting an online application. European Regions Compared http://www.euetp.eu I nnovation is a key driver of economic growth and jobs. The Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2012 provides a comparative assessment of how European regions EUd In ustrial R&D Investment Scoreboard perform with regard to innovation. The Despite Crisis Top EU Firms Continue to Invest in Innovation report covers 190 regions across the European Union, Croatia, Norway In the face of the continuing economic Recently released Eurostat data shows that and Switzerland. The most innovative and financial crisis, major EU-based firms combined EU public and private research regions in the EU are typically in the most continue to rely on R&D for their competi- spending increased to 2.03% of GDP in innovative countries: Sweden, Denmark, tive edge. They increased R&D investment 2011, from 2.01% in 2010. This was mainly Germany and Finland. Most of the moderate and modest by 8.9% in 2011, up from 6.1% in 2010. The due to increased private sector spending. innovation regions barely use Framework increase nearly matches US firms (9%), Programme funds but they are usually beats the global average (7.6%) and is far Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science said: high users of Structural Funds for busi- ahead of Japanese companies (1.7%). R&D- ness innovation. Several innovation lead- “Knowledge is the lifeblood of European com- intensive sectors tended to show above ers, on the other hand, are very successful average employment growth. These are petitiveness, so the increase in R&D invest- in attracting grants under the Research key findings of the European Commis- ment by EU companies is a call to arms in our & Development Framework Programme: sion’s 2012 “EU Industrial R&D Investment battle for growth and jobs. We now need to over 90% of leading Framework Pro- Scoreboard” of the top 1500 global R&D match private sector ambition with increased gramme: absorbers are the regional inno- investors. The global top 50 includes 15 EU investment in R&D at national and European vation leaders. companies, 18 US firms and 12 from Japan. levels. EU leaders should send a strong signal Japanese car manufacturer Toyota tops the by approving an ambitious budget for Hori- Full report at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/ ranking, with Volkswagen the top EU com- zon 2020, our future programme for research and innovation.” innovation/policy/regional-innovation/ pany in third place (€7.2 billion invested). index_en.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-re- S ource: European Commission lease_IP-12-1324_en.htm from jaPAn EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 7

15th Japan-EU Conference B russels, Belgium, 26 November 2012

A mbassador Shiojiri gave the keynote higher level and the major role concluding positive role in international rule making for address at the 15th Japan-EU Conference an EPA/FTA and political agreement would trade, investment, protection of Intellectual with the presence of EU Council President play in achieving this. property rights and other related economic Herman Van Rompuy, government officials activities”. and prominent academics. In his address the Ambassador pointed to the need to conclude a comprehensive The full address by Ambassador Shiojiri at the The topic of this year’s conference was political agreement between Japan and 15th Japan-EU conference is available on the “Japan-EU Cooperation in a Changing the EU and the benefits it would bring. He website of the Mission of Japan to the EU. World”. Ambassador Shiojiri focused on argued “with this instrument, the EU and the need to elevate Japan-EU relations to a Japan will be able to jointly play an even more S ource: Mission of Japan to the EU http://www.eu.emb-japan.go.jp/

Japan Tsunami: Hope and Recovery T he Third EU-Japan English Haiku Contest A nnouncement of the winning haiku

Japan and the EU hosted the third EU Japan English haiku contest on the theme of “Dawn”.

The total number of entries was 523, 104 entries from Japan and 419 entries from the EU member states as well as Croatia.

After careful examination, Ms. Yasuko Kurono and Mr. Zeshan Hayat were awarded First Prize.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan has invited Mr. Zeshan Hayat to Matsuyama City, which is considered to be the birthplace of modern Haiku in A mbassador Shiojiri joined European The Ambassador spoke about the Japan. Commission Vice-President Maroš lessons that have been learned from the Šefčovič in an opening of an exhibition of disaster and the process of recovery. His full His winning Haiku was: photographs and documentaries titled remarks are available on the website of the “Light breaks free, A new day is born, The “Japan tsunami: Hope and Recovery” at the Mission of Japan to the EU. mantis comes out to pray.” European Commission. The exhibition took place in the Berlaymont In his remarks, Ambassador Shiojiri building of the European Commission from expressed gratitude on behalf of the 27 November to 6 December. Japanese people to all those from the European Institutions who offered their S ource: Mission of Japan to the EU support in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. http://www.eu.emb-japan.go.jp/

R eports on the Japanese Economy Ms Yasuko Kuroda visited President Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels in October and had T he latest report on the current status of the Japanese economy is available at: a conversation on haikus. http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/economy/data/index.html Her winning Haiku was: Results of the Regional Economic and Industrial Research (July-September 2012) “Dawn of summer solstice, Coming out of, are available at: A vivid dream”. http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2012/1025_02.html S ource: Mission of Japan to the EU

S ource: Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/ announce/2012/9/0904_02.html

from jaPAn EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 8

A ichi PreFECture Pillar of Japan’s industry and number one area for investment support

Aichi Prefecture, located This new incentive, set up as a countermeasure to deindustrialisa- in the centre of Japan, of- tion, has enabled Pokka Corporation, a major beverage manufac- fers a high concentration turer whose headquarters are in Aichi, to invest 3.2 billion yen to of world-leading manufac- perform earthquake reinforcement works and set up a cutting-edge turing industries. It is con- production line in order to increase its production capacity by 70%. stantly endeavouring to Another recipient was Belgian group Umicore, which is specialised improve its subsidy policies in global materials technology. Umicore announced the construc- to further promote invest- tion of a R&D facility in Tokoname, Aichi, for automotive catalysts. ments and R&D. In April 2012, Aichi set up a fund of These two examples show the relevance of Aichi’s strategy: over the 5 billion yen, correspond- first semester of fiscal 2012, 24 projects have been subsidised for AICHI ing to 10% of the annual an amount of 3.1 billion yen, while total investments by companies amount of corporate tax, to amounted to 50.9 billion yen, allowing the creation of over 6000 jobs. support the establishment of companies, as well as As for the support programme for the R&D and proving tests in high promote R&D and proving value-added sectors, so far 59 projects have been selected and have tests, through three sub- benefited from 760 million yen through subsidies. sidy programmes: In order to further develop its R&D equipment environment, Ai- chi Prefecture set up its “Knowledge Hub” on the former site 1. with the aim of promoting the establishment of manufacturing of the 2005 World Exposition. Aichi Center for Industry and facilities in cutting-edge fields,A ichi Prefecture increased subsidisa- Science Technology, the leading core facility, opened in Feb- tion to 10 billion yen, making it one of the largest subsidies in Japan: ruary 2012, while the Central Japan Synchrotron Radiation and the limit on subsidies for large-scale projects (over 100 billion Facility, designed to develop R&D projects that use nanotechnology, yen) which can have a significant impact on the local economy. will open in the coming months.

2. the second programme aims to support the reinvestments within In addition, the establishment of the National Composite Center, the prefecture by the SMEs which have contributed to sustain the which is currently under project development and will be centred local economy for many years, by preventing the outbound drain of around Nagoya University, illustrates the high concentration of R&D companies and supporting brilliant investment projects in both the in a wide array of cutting-edge sectors. expanding fields, and fields occupying the core of the supply chain. For more information on Aichi’s support for investments, please feel 3. the third programme consists of supporting the R&D and proving free to contact the JETRO / Aichi Prefecture Office in Paris. tests performed by companies in collaboration with universities and other research institutions in promising fields such as: next-gener- http://www.pref.aichi.jp/ ation vehicles, aerospace, environment and new energy industries. ricchitsusho/e/fund.html

Form u Japanese Machinery Trading Company RIX Expands to International Hydrogen Energy Development Germany F ukuoka, Japan, 30-31 January 2013 I n October 2012, Fukuoka based company RIX opened a subsidiary company, in Fukuoka Prefecture, well known as a cen- Fukuoka Prefecture plans to invite many Stuttgart, Germany (RIX Europe GmbH) in tre of advanced research and development speakers from Europe (United Kingdom, order to increase sales of rotary joints for and demonstration projects in the field of Germany, Finland, Norway etc.) to this fo- machine tool manufacturers and windmill hydrogen energy and fuel cells, is promot- rum, the seventh since its beginning, a hot manufacturers. ing the “Hy-Life Project” which works on debate about the realisation of a hydrogen various activities for the realisation of an energy society is expected. While there are worldwide concerns about eco-friendly society. the future of the economy, the European market, including Germany, continues to With unique efforts, such as “Fukuoka be an attractive market for Japanese com- Hydrogen Town”, where more than 150 panies and this is one of the main reasons households are equipped with fuel cell that led to the expansion. The company’s rotary joints, which increase the cutting ef- systems, or the world’s only institution for ficiency of machining centers and lathes, hydrogen-related human resource devel- have contributed significantly to the opment, Fukuoka Prefecture has attracted innovation of machine tools. a lot of attention. Through this expansion, the competitive- As part of this effort, Fukuoka Prefecture ness of Japan and Europe that lead the is gathering the opinion leaders of the world in the field of machine tools is ex- world in the field of hydrogen energy and pected to increase. fuel cells and holding a forum in order to spread the latest trends and research and http://www.congre.co.jp/hydro- http://www.rix.co.jp/english/ development results every year. gen2013/index.html from EU-JAPAN EU-JAPAN news december 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 9

European Companies Succeeding in Japan

L uxembourg Business Strengthening in Japan I EE s.a., a privately-held innovative develo- Established with the aim of per of specialised sensing systems founded strengthening IEE’s presence in 1989 and headquartered in Luxembourg in Japan, IEE Sensing Japan officially opened its Japanese business IEE K.K. replaces the company’s Sensing Japan K.K. in October 2012. former representative office that had been operating in the The official opening event was hosted by country since 2006. IEE’s CEO and President, Hubert Jacobs van Merlen and with the Prime Minister of the “Over the years, IEE has de- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg H.E. Mr. Jean- veloped successful business Claude Juncker as the Guest of Honour. relationships with a number of Japanese vehicle manu- Prime Minister Juncker described the official facturers, including Subaru, Suzuki, Mit- The IEE team with the Prime Minister. opening as “a celebration of IEE’s growth stra- subishi and Nissan” says Mr Jacobs van From left to right: Masaki Takahashi, tegy to successfully expand its global reach Merlen. “Establishing IEE Sensing Japan K.K. Ryuji Yamazaki, Hubert Jacobs van Merlen, towards Asia, offering innovative sensing will allow us to strengthen our commitment Jean-Claude Juncker, Hans-Joachim Sommer, systems that meet the needs of customers to local customers while, at the same time, Yasuo Sasakura and Hisamori Yamaguchi. well beyond the borders of Luxembourg.” He streamline our processes. continued by saying: “I am very proud to wit- ness another fine example of Luxembourg’s It will also put us in a better position to capi- ability to strengthen ties with an economi- talise on the growth opportunities in Asia, in cally powerful nation such as Japan.” particular in Japan.” http://www.iee.lu

L atvian Design Products Spanish-Japanese make their way to Japan Cooperation Awarded T he Japanese company Hojo Seian, in cooperation with the Spanish company Posada Marron Glacé, has been awarded with the Silver Diploma Monde Selection 2012, in a ceremony celebrated in Athens in June 2012.

The product is marron paste with Hojo Seian Formula, but with Spanish raw material chestnuts. This cooperation has started one year ago, and it is forecasted to expand this trademark “Posada” of Marron Chestnut paste in the Japanese Although Latvia might be still little known The department store is located on the market, among other chestnut paste country to ordinary Japanese, the Latvian Ginza, a prestigious shopping area attend- from Italy or France competing with the design products are getting more popular ed by 40,000-80,000 people daily. The spot Chinese chestnuts in Japan. among Japanese customers. sales were introducing the Latvian Christ- After successive participation in Interior Life- mas, since the capital Riga claims to be the http://www.marronglace.net style trade shows in 2011 and 2012, and EU first city to introduce a decorated Christ- Gateway mission organised exhibitions in To - mas tree 500 years ago. kyo with the support of the Investment and IHI Corporation and Development Agency of Latvia, the Latvian This project was implemented by the Lat- Paul Wurth join forces design products – linen home textiles and vian product specialised shop Riga Collec- accessories, wooden and ceramic kitchen- tion, which opened its doors in July 2010 L ast August IHI Corporation announced ware, organic soy wax candles, glassware in Nakameguro, Tokyo, and since then ac- that its board of directors approved the are more often seen in design shops and tively promotes the Latvian products in the agreement reached with Paul Wurth S.A., department stores. department stores. Luxembourg, to set up a joint venture Japanese customers highly appreciate corporation in Japan in the field of iron the Latvian products’ handiwork, natural At the moment it participates in spot sales and coke making technologies. materials, calm colours and minimalistic at Umeda Hankyu department store in design that match with their taste. Osaka, thus introducing the Latvian design and crafts also to the Kansai area. This year the Latvian products stand was http://www.ihi.co.jp/var/ezwebin_site/ presented at Mitsukoshi department store storage/original/application/587921b in the framework of Isetan Mitsukoshi De- 2ef4f16d64dffb5cb9348e9fc.pdf http://www.riga-latvia-gbs.com sign Tide Tokyo 2012 project. http://www.paulwurth.com from EU-JAPAN EU-JAPAN news december 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 10

I nternational Medical Industrial Forum 2013 N agano, Japan, 29 January 2013 In particular, the sector of healthcare related industries is expected to record sig- Representative of medical clusters in Europe nificant developments in human resources (Cluster MedizinTechnik.NRW – DE, I-Care le and advanced medical treatments. Cluster des Technologies de la Santé Rhône- Alpes - FR), USA and Japan will be presenting In that context, Nagano Techno Founda- the current status and issues of the health- tion is organising the International Medi- care industry in each country. cal Industrial Forum 2013 with the aim to Nagano Prefecture is Japan’s foremost implement a global network for coopera- manufacturing centre for high-tech and tion in the healthcare sector and is looking precision machinery industries and one of forward to welcoming EU representatives FJltR- P C us er cooperation the world leading producers of precision of this sector at the Forum. instruments including watches and per- Food and Biotech Clusters from France sonal computer-related devices. Agenda (as of 10/12/2012) and application and Japan meet to boost R&D partnerships form: http://documents.eu-japan.eu/na- Currently, the manufacturing industry in gano_application_form Vitagora has welcomed a delegation from Nagano Prefecture is promoting new strat- the Kyushu Bio Cluster Conference (KBCC). egies for developing sectors such as green Over 2 days, a group of 10 companies, re- energy, environment, and healthcare. http://www.tech.or.jp/english search centers and universities visited Di- jon to meet existing partners and create new contacts. One-to-one meetings were scheduled for one morning, as well as vis- B avarian Business Delegation to Saitama its of research centers in Burgundy and Franche-Comté. After this, the delegation T his business delegation is already the fourth round of business- went to Rennes and visited other F²C Inno- matchmaking between Bavarian and Japanese companies. The organiser and initiator is the vation partners. Bavarian Networking - Organisation Cluster Mechatronik & Automation e.V. with headquar- This event has been organised within the ters in Augsburg, Germany, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Nuremberg. framework of a Memorandum of Under- During this four day trip Bavarian and Japanese companies met for business-matchmaking standing signed between KBCC and F²C and visited Japanese high-tech companies. The programme included more than 30 one-to- Innovation in 2010. one meetings and 15 visits of Japanese SME companies. KBCC aims to boost R&D, production and The overall goal of this RIT-Project is the idea of supporting Bavarian-Japanese business co- sales expansion of “functional or health- operation. A first cooperation between the companies Eutect GmbH and Nittoku Engineer- care food” in the southern ing has already been successfully started at region of Kyushu in Japan. It brings to- the beginning of 2012. gether over 200 members from industry and academia. Also several Non-Disclosure-Agreements Vitagora® is the leading European cluster (NDAs) have been signed between Bavarian on Taste-Nutrition-Health. Its members and Japanese partners. include more than 150 companies and the The cooperation within the RIT-Project start- elite of international research. Vitagora® is ed one year ago. Japanese companies’ rep- a member of F²C Innovation.. resentatives also visited Bavarian companies and trade fairs organised by the Cluster of http://www.vitagora.com Mechtronik & Automation in Bavaria. http://www.f2c-innovation.com http://www.kyushu-bio.jp http://www.cluster-ma.de

Japanese Delegation Visited Techtera This business delegation is already the The overall goal of this RIT-Project is the fourth round of business-matchmaking idea of supporting Bavarian-Japanese busi- between Bavarian and Japanese com- ness cooperation. A first cooperation be- panies. The organiser and initiator is the tween the companies Eutect GmbH and Bavarian Networking - Organisation Cluster Nittoku Engineering has already been suc- Mechatronik & Automation e.V. with head- cessfully started at the beginning of 2012. quarters in Augsburg, Germany, in coop- Also several Non-Disclosure-Agreements eration with the Chamber of Commerce of (NDAs) have been signed between Bavarian Nuremberg. and Japanese partners.

During this four day trip Bavarian and Japa- The cooperation within the RIT-Project start- nese companies met for business-match- ed one year ago. Japanese companies’ rep- making and visited Japanese high-tech resentatives also visited Bavarian companies companies. The programme included more and trade fairs organised by the Cluster of than 30 one-to-one meetings and 15 visits of Mechtronik & Automation in Bavaria. Japanese SME companies.

http://www.techtera.org fromj EU- apan EU-JAPAN news december 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 11

I nauguration of CETI - European Centre for Innovative Textiles: a 360° Success

T he official launch of the European Centre Among the participants, representatives for Innovative Textiles, (CETI) was held on 10 from Tokyo Institute of Technology, the October 2012 in Tourcoing and recorded a Japan Chemical Fibers Association, Shinsu huge success. 1400 policy-makers, research- University and Mitsubishi Rayon, Kuraray, ers, engineers and industrialists from all four Unitika, Toray, Toyobo and Teijen were corners of the economic, scientific, political spotted. and arts worlds came to the Lille metropolis to discover this new multi-sector technol- Contacts were made to develop new coop- ogy platform dedicated to research and in- eration projects, bookings were taken for novation in textiles materials. tests on the new equipment and tours of the facilities, investors showed their inter- A range of world-class professional events est in the area as a possible new location brought together those who share the same and the first framework partnership agree- ambition to make textiles the key material ment was signed on that day with ENSAIT of the 21st century for the health care, trans- (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et In- Photographer : David Coppietres port, construction/public works and sports dustries du Textile). markets. CETI will begin its operations in January 2013. http://www.ceti.com

Japan Welcome Office T Rhe CCI J Started Natura 2000 Programmes A new incubator for Japanese companies in Belgium.

O n the 18 December 2012, a new incubator for business and technological cooperation between Belgium and Japan will open in the university city of Louvain-la-Neuve, 25 km south of Brussels.

T he Welcome Offices are one-stop service - Ready-to-use offices in the Louvain-la- centers set up by the Wallonia Foreign Neuve Business and Innovation Centre (Cen- T he Romanian Japan Chamber of Com- Trade and Investment Agency (AWEX) for tre d’Entreprise et d’Innovation); merce (CCIRJ) has participated to the pro- the exclusive use of country-specific inves- - Assistance during the initial development gramme managed by the Romania Min- tors. They allow companies to test the Euro- of their business in Belgium and Europe by istry of Environment called “Natura 2000 pean market from an office in Wallonia, the facilitating information exchange with pub- - protected natural areas administrators French-speaking region of Belgium. lic and private institutions as well as wih ad- selection”, obtaining the administration equate experts; of the North of Western Gorj, an area of The Japan Welcome Office is a joint project - Personalised services provided in Japanese. over 85,000 hectares with the aim of between AWEX and the Science Parks of The Japan Welcome Office will also work conserving and protecting natural and Wallonia network (SPoW) that will be offer- to foster scientific collaboration between cultural local heritage. ing to Japanese companies the following Walloon and Japanese R&D centers. services free of charge: Contact details: Continuing the actions in preserving [email protected] nature, CCIRJ developed, in partnership with the Romanian Environmental Pro- http://www.belgium-wallonia.jp/ tection Agency, the project “Life + NAT/ RO/ 825” aiming to protect the biodiversity and natural habitats of the adminis- Japan: a Market of Opportunities for Spanish firms trated area. The CCIRJ also started an internship pro- T aking into account that the Spanish Government will organise the “Year of Spain in Ja- ject called “Volunteers in action together pan” from October 2013, Casa Asia and the Foro de Marcas Renombradas Españolas or- with Natura2000” which spans the period ganised a business meeting on 15 November to discuss the opportunities and economic of 2012-2014. In 2012 the CCIRJ welcomed perspectives of Japan for Spanish companies. 60 Romanian and Moldavian students who The meeting, which brought around 50 people together: business people and represent- were involved in biodiversity activities. atives of public institutions, served to get to know about the reality of these companies in their relation with Japan, and to collect proposals to implement this commemoration. Starting in 2013, the CCIRJ is planning to conclude partnerships with Japanese Uni- The “Year of Spain in Japan” is versities, in order to add this internship pro- planned to reinforce the relation- gramme to their extracurricular activities. ship between Spain and Japan on the basis of three main issues: business dialogue, promotion of Span- ish investment in Asia and cultural exchanges.

http://casaasia.org/ http://www.ccirj.ro from eu-japan EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 12

G erman Technology on Japan- Slovenia Technology Conference Stage in Japan

O n 4-7 December, Fraunhofer COMEDD - Research Institution for Organics, Ma- terials and Electronic Devices attended the IDW 2012 – the International Display Workshop 2012 – in Kyoto.

The IDW is specialised in fields playing important roles in information display activities. Three topics: oxide TFT, augmented reality and lighting technologies were especially highlighted this year.

Fraunhofer COMEDD has shown for the first time in Asia their interactive data eye-glasses based on OLED microdisplays for augmented reality applications. O n 24 October 2012 a Japan-Slovenia Tech- Economic Development and Industry of These tiny microdisplays are both display nology Conference was held at the Slove- Slovenia welcomed the agreement and and camera at the same time. Thus it is nian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. hoped for the realisation of strategic and possible to display information, observe Mr. Hideo Hato, President of the New En- long-term cooperation. one‘s surroundings and to have one‘s ergy and Industrial Technology Develop- hands free for further activities since the ment Organization of Japan (NEDO) and In the conference focusing on “smart grid” information is controlled by eye-tracking. Ms. Mateja Mešl, Director General of the and “smart house”, representatives of Jap- Examples of application: for craftsmen Public Agency for Technology of Slovenia anese companies (Hitachi, Ltd., Yaskawa to get their construction plans displayed (TIA) signed the “Memorandum of Under- Electric Corporation and Obayashi Corpo- without interrupting their work or for standing” on Cooperative Information Ex- ration) and Slovenian companies (Kolektor paramedics that can take care of their change. Group, Petrol, Inea, Trimo and Robotina patients and monitor the most impor- Group) presented their cutting-edge tech- tant body functions at the same time. The Mr. Toshimitsu Isigure, Ambassador of Ja- nologies and expressed their willingness demonstration of the data eye-glasses pan to Slovenia and Mr. Radovan Žerjav, for cooperation. attracted a large audience. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of

http://www.comedd.fraunhofer.de http://www.si.emb-japan.go.jp

Urban Water within a Changing Globe Foreign Chambers Business ConfidenceS urvey T he Foreign Chambers in Japan (FCIJ) has been conducting Business Confidence sur- veys online twice a year since 2002 among foreign-affiliated companies in Japan.

This survey shows that all indexes, from views on the Japanese economy to the performance of the companies, as well as their forecasts for the future, declined about 15-25% from the Spring 2012 survey conducted in April. But apart from P rof. Pinnekamp in the centre the views on the Japanese economy in A scientific exchange programme between This exchange forms part of the DAAD the short term, all indices were still posi- the University of Tokyo and RWTH Aachen financed programme “Partnerships with tive. The Japanese economy for the next 6 University is taking place at the moment. Japan and Korea”, which supports universi- months is expected remain flat and look- ties. By working together not only techni- ing 12 months ahead, the companies see Two PhD-students from the Japanese cal but also cultural understandings were a slight turn for the better. Research Center for Water Environment transferred, leading to new ideas and im- Technology visited Aachen University’s pulses to look at technology from another The concerns regarding the economy and Institute of Environmental Engineering in perspective. lower reported and forecasted growth in October and November. As a next step, a German researcher will the companies performance, could now, Together with their German colleagues visit Japan in January to continue research based on the comments the respondents they started to investigate the influence of and further intensify the cooperation made, be to a fairly large extent attribut- climate change on Japan and Germany. between RWTH Aachen and the University ed to external factors, such as the Europe- of Tokyo. an debt crises, the troubled Japan-China The aim of this exchange programme is the relations and uncertainties regarding the development of a solution to adapt water http://www.isa.rwth-aachen.de US economy. http://www.env.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/e/index.html systems in Germany and Japan to climate S ource: Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Japan change. http://daad.de http://www.fcc.or.jp/fcij/bcs.html fromj EU- apan EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 13

Coll ections Francaises Moda Italia and French Accessories Fair Shoes from Italy T okyo and Osaka, Japan, 28 Jan - 1 Feb 2013 2013-14 Fall-Winter Collections

The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE T okyo, Japan, 29 - 31 January 2013 is proud to announce the 39th edition of “Collections Francaises” that will be held on January 2013 at the Hilton hotels in Tokyo & Osaka. The French brands will introduce their latest collections to the The Italian Trade Commission (ICE) - Trade The Italian exhibitors from all over Italy will Japanese customers. Promotion Section of the Italian Embassy present their collections for Fall/Winter will organize the 42nd edition of Moda Ita- 2013/14 at the Westin Hotel Tokyo. In fact, the fancy accessories market in Ja- lia & the 52nd edition of Shoes from Italy, pan is the second largest in the world. Also, the largest Italian fashion & shoes trade A wide range of products will be displayed, France is one of the most important sup- exhibitions in Japan, from 29 to 31 January including apparel for men, women, knit- pliers to the Japanese market thanks to the 2013. wear, leather and bags, fashion accessories originality and creativity of its designs. The number of exhibitors will be more and footwear, always attracting the atten- than 200 and the number of expected visi- tion of visitors. The principal buyers of department tors is over 2,000. stores, selected shops, distributors, im- http://www.ice-tokyo.or.jp/index.php porters visit this presentation. The participation is open to all type of fashion goods such as fancy accessories, bags, shoes... B usiness Matching Event: This event is jointly hosted with the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Image Technologies and Digital Creativity Féminin (FFPAPF) which organises “Mode T okyo, Japan, 11-14 February 2013 in France”. 70 French fashion brands will join in. This business event, organised by UBIFRANCE The service also includes the help of a the French Trade Commission, will focus French/English-to-Japanese interpreter for Next Collection Francaises: around 2 main topics: each participating company, as well as a Tokyo - 28 to 30 JAN at Hotel Hilton - The first topic is about digital contents for press release introducing the French com- Osaka – 31 JAN to 1 FEB Hotel Hilton the mass market, such as video games and panies to Japanese professionals through animated series. specialised newspapers, magazines and http://www.ubifrance.com/jp/ - The second topic revolves around anima- websites. http://www.col-fr.com/ tion, creation and modelling technologies and tools for professionals. This event will take place alongside “Digital Choc”, a series of events organised UBIFRANCE will be offering business- by the French Institute of the French Em- matching services for participating French bassy, celebrating creativity in the digital I talian Pavilion @ companies, selecting and contacting po- era through concerts, art installations and Nanotech 2013 tential business partners, distributors or conferences, all around Japan. customers among Japanese firms. http://www.ubifrance.com/jp/ T okyo, Japan, 30 Jan – 1 Feb 2013

The Italian Trade Commission (ICE) - Trade Promotion Section of the Italian Embassy PLAYTI ME Tokyo is organising Italy’s participation in the 12th edition of Nanotech, the world largest Welcome to French Pavilion by UBIFRANCE nanotechnology fair in Tokyo T okyo, Japan, 19-21 February 2013 http://www.nanotechexpo.jp/en/ UBIFRANCE, the French Agency for The children’s market in Japan is one of the International Business Development, is most developed in the world, attracting a The latest nanotechnologies and prod- organising a French Pavilion for PLAYTIME wide range of international exhibitors and ucts “Made in Italy” will be presented by Tokyo that will take place from 19 to 21 buyers. This fair, organised twice a year, public research institutions and private February, 2013 at Belle Salle Shibuya Gar- is well-known and established, with the enterprises, with the purpose of enhanc- den, Tokyo. number of visitors increasing each year. ing industrial collaboration, joint research The last session in August 2012 recorded and technical tie-up between Italian PLAYTIME is the international trade show an increase of 32% compared to 2011. & Japanese nanotechnology companies. dedicated to the children’s world and ma- ternity wear. French brands are highly ap- 170 selected brands will participate to the preciated with their originality and refine- next PLAYTIME Tokyo . ment, and their fancy designs. http://www.ubifrance.com/jp/ http://www.ice-tokyo.or.jp/index.php http://www.playtimetokyo.com from network EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 14

Ent erprise Europe Network Seminar for Japanese SMEs T okyo, Japan, 4 December 2012

The EU-Japan Centre held an informa- - How to find a business cooperation tive seminar on the Enterprise Europe partner in the EU Network (EEN) activities to support - How to find a technology partner in the EU Japanese SMEs in their international de- - How to participate in the EEN B2B velopment toward the European Union. matching event organised at EU trade- With the aim to promote the Enterprise show venues Europe Network among Japanese SMEs and public organisations promoting The seminar was attended by both SMEs SME internationalisation, the semi- and local governments representatives. nar provided answers to the following points: http://www.een-japan.eu

Czech Delegation at Nanotech 2013 T okyo, Japan, 30 January - 01 February 2013

Following the successful mission held last February 2012, the Enterprise Europe Network Czech partner Technology Centre ASCR, with the support of the Czech Embassy in Japan and the governmental organisation CzechInvest, will reiterate the mission and lead a group of 14 Czech companies, research centres and universities to Nanotech 2013. The Czech Republic belongs to a set of countries with a huge number of universities and innovative companies dealing with nanotechnologies used in various applications, therefore interest to exhibit at the biggest nanotechnology fair in Japan is so big, that the Czech Republic will be present with a country pavilion. Czech exhibitors will bring innovative projects and research cooperation opportunities in the fields of textiles, environmental, machinery, food, medical and biotechnology. Visi- tors could see examples of electrospinning technology at the Czech Delegation in 2012 stand N° A6-17. Special presentations will be held during the fair and the Several partnership agreements made in the last 2 years Czech delegation is looking forward to welcoming Japanese between Japanese and Czech researchers are the proof of visitors at their pavilion. strong ties between the 2 countries in the field of research and a good base for further cooperation developments. http://www.een.cz

T uscany Fashion Companies at Moda Italia T okyo, Japan, 29-31 January 2013 T he Italian Enterprise Europe Network partner the Economic The Tuscany region is pleased to welcome Japanese visitors Agency of Tuscany Region will coordinate the participation of at the fair. 35 Tuscany fashion companies to Moda Italia – Tokyo 2013. For more details or arrange meetings schedule interested All the companies are examples of the excellence in the field visitors can contact: [email protected] of fashion ‘Made in Italy’ – women’s, men’s and children’s List of exhibiting companies at: clothing, shoes and leather goods. http://www.een-japan.eu/events/italian-fashion-mission-japan from network EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 15

EU-Japan Business Opportunities

R TEQUES For A DESIGNER IN SWEDEN-FINLAND-DENMARK: RQUETE S FOR DISTRIBUTORS IN JAPAN: S ector: Design S ector: Manufacture of plastic parts A Japanese personal stationery company is seeking designers for A Swedish manufacturer of plastic buckets is looking for trade one of their products agents and distributors Profile ID: 20121127042 Profile ID: 20120921013

RQUETE S FOR TRADE INTERMEDIARY IN JAPAN: RQUETE S FOR TRADE AGENTS IN JAPAN: S ector: Foods S ector: Manufacture of plastic parts An Italian company active in the sector of organic foods production A Catalan company is looking for trade intermediaries for innovative is looking for distributors air fresheners for cars Profile ID: 20121016037 Profile ID: 20110524018

RQUETE S FOR TRADE INTERMEDIARY IN JAPAN: RQUETE S FOR TRADE AGENTS IN JAPAN: S ector: Foods S ector: Textile and clothing An Italian Consortium producing extra virgin olive oil is looking for An Italian company specialised in manufacturing Italian style trade intermediary services clothes, is looking for agents/distributors/representatives Profile ID: 20121114021 Profile ID: 20120920016

RQUETE S FOR POTENTIAL PARTNERS IN JAPAN: RQUETE S FOR POTENTIAL PARTNERS IN JAPAN: S ector:Nano and Microtechnology S ector: Intelligent daylight system An Italian SME developing a chip microsensor device seeks partners A Belgian company is looking for partners to market an energy for technical cooperation efficient, intelligent daylight system Profile ID: 12 IT 55X7 3PBY Profile ID: 20110322042

RQUETE S FOR DISTRIBUTORS IN JAPAN: S ector: ICT A Polish company dealing with software, applications and IT systems development, is looking for distributors and representatives http://een-japan.eu/opportunities Profile ID: 20121009011 Enterprise Europe Network Events Mathm c aking opportunities for EU and Japanese SMEs Ecobuild Matchmaking Event B usiness meetings at Biogaz Europe and S ectors: Construction technology, Environment Fair Bois Energie 2013 London, UK, 6 March 2013 S ectors: Energy, Environment, Waste management Enterprise Europe South-East UK is organising a B2B matchmaking Nantes, France, 21-22 March 2013 event during Ecobuild, the biggest event in the world for sustainable Professionals of forestry and agriculture will meet to explore and construction. further develop their common interests in energy provision in a http://www.b2match.eu/ecobuild2013 European context that calls for ever more efficient and integrated solutions. http://www.b2match.eu/biogaz-bois-energie/ I ndustryMatchMaking – IMM 2013 S ectors: Automation/Robotics, ICT, Electronics, Microelectronics b2fair HANNOVER MESSE 2013 Sofia, Bulgaria, 7 March 2013 S ectors: Industrial Automation, Energy, ICT, Environmental, SurfaceT- The forum is an excellent opportunity for companies and echnology, Hybrid and Electric Powertrain Technologies organisations to establish valuable business contacts with local and Hannover, Germany, 10-11 April 2013 foreign companies for business cooperation, technology transfer or The b2fair matchmaking event will take place during HANNOVER participation in projects funded by European programs. MESSE, the world´s leading industrial and technological trade show. http://www.imm2013.build-your.net Participating companies will have the possibility to find new business partners on an international level during tailored prescheduled business meetings. http://www.b2faironline.com/hannovermesse2013/ http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu/public/calendar/home.cfm?type=future in brief EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 16

Japan Society for the U Kti North West First International Conference Promotion of Science’s Trade Mission to Japan on Lean Six Sigma for Higher Summer Program in Japan T okyo, Japan, 19-30 January 2013 Education G lasgow, UK, 24-25 June 2013 T he JSps Summer Program is implemented With GDP twice the size of the UK, and GDP per person 10 times that of China, as a component of the JSPS Postdoctoral Japan remains the high-tech power- Enhancing Process Efficiency and Fellowship for Foreign Researchers. It pro- house economy of Asia – with the 2nd Effectiveness in Higher Education Sector vides opportunities for young pre- and highest spend worldwide on R&D, and an Organisations using Lean Six Sigma. post-doctoral researchers from Europe increasingly globalised outlook. to receive an orientation on Japanese The conference will explore the culture and research systems and to pur- UKTI NW is organising a trade mission in transformation of the Higher Education sue research under the guidance of host January 2013 to continue to develop busi- (HE) sector through the use of Lean Six researchers at Japanese universities and ness cooperation across a wide range of Sigma. It aims to highlight that both Lean research institutes over a period of two manufacturing, consumer goods, high and Six Sigma have a role to play in de- months during the summer. tech and services sectors. veloping HEI’s processes by improving efficiency and creating a student-centric Application deadline: 15 January 2013 Extended deadline for submission approach for greater student retention. form. Contact Miho Hatakeyama: [email protected] More information on More information on http://www.strath.ac.uk/siom/conferences http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e- More information on summer/index.html http://www.ukti.gov.uk/pt_pt/ex- R ound Table port/event/373002.html?null D o we have to Worry About a Possible “Japanese scenario” for Europe? R enewable Energy 2012 P aris, France, 10 December 2012 Exhibition Chiba, Japan, 5-7 December 2012 Despite the action of the European N ew Job Offers Central Bank and of the European Union together with plans of fiscal The Italian Trade Commission (ICE) - Trade More information on consolidation at the national level, it is Promotion Section of the Italian Embassy http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/job- still difficult in 2012 to forecast when and organised the Italy’s participation in the offers.html how the crisis that is hitting Europe will 7th Renewable Energy 2012 Exhibition come to an end. (http://www.renewableenergy.jp/english) held at Makuhari Messe. Organised by the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales on the 10 December, The Italian Trade Commission introduced this round table had 3 leading Japanese to the visitors the advantages of the Italy’s and French economists meeting to dis- renewable energy sector and the major cuss worries that Europe may follow a players in Italy. On the 6th December, a scenario similar to Japan’s two decades seminar inviting an expert from Italy in of economic stagnation. They analysed these two experiences, their similarities order to illustrate the sector trend and the and differences and emphasise the poli- opportunities for collaboration between cies and reforms that should be intro- Italian and Japanese companies has been duced to avoid a “Japanese scenario for organised. Europe” in the coming years.

More information on More information on http://www.ice-tokyo.or.jp/index.php http://ffj.ehess.fr cl a endar EU-JAPAN news decembeR 2012 I 4 VOL 10 I Page 17

Da te/Location Details Contacts

21-22 December 2012 FORUM JSPS, IRCAD, University of Strasbourg Tokyo, Japan France - Japan: Joint Accademic Forum http://www.ircad.fr/jsps/

UBIFRANCE 29 January 2013 SEMINAR http://www.ubifrance.fr/japon/001PRG- Paris, France Information Day on Japan, South Korea and Taiwan 17923+cap-vers-l-asie-du-nord-saisissez-les- opportunites-offertes-par-le-japon-la-.html

European Commission-funded Programme EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 13 May - 07 June 2013 Training Mission in Japan: Human Resources Training http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/business-trai- Tokyo, Japan Programme - Japan Industry Insight ning/human-resources-training-programme. Application deadline: 12 February 2013 html

30 May 2013 CONFERENCE FlandersBio Gent, Belgium Knowledge for Growth http://www.knowledgeforgrowth.be

29 May 2013 WORKSHOP EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation Dublin, Ireland Driving Competitiveness - World Class Manufacturing workshop http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/seminars.html

congress 17-20 June 2013 Estonian Association for Quality 57th European Organisation for Quality Congress Tallinn, Estonia http://www.quality2013.eu/tours Quality Renaissance - Co-creating a Viable Future

E omm a ndustr 1 - 5 July 2013 uropean C ission-funded Progr mme EU-Japan Centre for I ial Cooperation Tok apan Training Mission in Japan: WCM I - World Class Manufacturing http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/business-trai- yo, J Application deadline: 21 March 2013 ning/world-class-manufacturing.html

E omm a ndustr 14 - 18 October 2013 uropean C ission-funded Progr mme EU-Japan Centre for I ial Cooperation Tok apan Training Mission in Japan: WCM II - World Class Manufacturing http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/business-trai- yo, J Application deadline: 10 June 2013 ning/world-class-manufacturing.html

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The European Office of the EU-Japan Centre alone is responsible for the information contained in its communications or publications. Neither the European Commission nor theGovernment of Japan is responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Editor: J. Michelson