Nibancho 5-4, Chiyoda-ku 102-0084, Embassy of Belgium Tel: (+81)-3-3262-0191 in Tokyo Fax: (+81)-3-3262-0651 Mail: [email protected] www.diplomatie.be/tokyo

Daily Press release

BELGIAN ECONOMIC MISSION TO 11 th -16 th June 2012

Wednesday 13 th June 2012

The third day of the visit to Japan of H.R.H Prince Philippe and H.E. Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, was marked by the excellent relations both countries have in the field of bilateral investments. In the morning, H.R.H Prince Philippe attended a breakfast business seminar entitled “Japan: strong opportunities for sustainable development.” The seminar was organised by the Belgium Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce for Belgian businessmen who want to export or invest in Japan. After the breakfast seminar, the Prince inaugurated the new head office of UCB in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Specialized in the treatment of the central nervous system, immunology and allergic diseases, UCB is a global biopharma company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. At noon, important Japanese investors arrived for lunch at the Embassy of Belgium. This lunch enabled high-level executives of Japanese companies established in Belgium to talk directly to H.R.H Prince Philippe, and to H.E. Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as to his regional colleagues T.E Ministers Ingrid Lieten, Jean-Claude Marcourt and Benoît Cerexhe. After lunch, honorary decorations were conferred upon 4 Japanese businessmen who have strong relationship with Belgium: Mr. Hisayoshi Sato, Chairman of Chiyoda Gravure Corporation, Mr. Shigetaka Komori, President and Chief Executive of Fujifilm Holdings Corporation and of Fujifilm Corporation, Mr. Kimikazu Sugawara, President of Kaneka Corporation, and Mr. Tsuyoshi Hiyane, Chairman of Wittamer Japan Company, Ltd. In the late afternoon, H.R.H Prince Philippe and T.E. Ministers Ingrid Lieten and Benoît Cerexhe met with Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, HE Yoko Komiyama, before taking the train to Osaka in the evening. In the meantime, H.R.H Princess Mathilde traveled to the Tohoku Region on Wednesday. She arrived in Sendai where she was welcomed by of , Yoshihiro Murai. At the Miyagi Prefectural Office she met with Japanese pupils who will have the opportunity to visit Belgium this summer, in the framework of a project sponsored by Mr Nijkerk, CEO of Nijkerk Group. H.R.H Princess Mathilde then visited the Lasalle Home Orphanage in Sendai. Following lunch at Lasalle Home, she traveled to Higashi Matsushima, to the former location of the Himawari Community in the area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. She also went to the temporary location of the Himawari Community, where she met the Community’s Chief and his spouse. The Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo organized a charity event in April 2011 together with the Wallonia-Brussels Office for Tourism Promotion in Tokyo. Proceeds generated on this occasion were given to Himawari Community. The Embassy has since then organized several activities in Higashi Matsushima and will continue to do so. While H.R.H Prince Philippe continued his travels to the Kansai Region, for his spouse H.R.H Princess Mathilde, the Economic Mission to Japan ended on Wednesday. For both the Belgian Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Japan was not an unknown country. They have traveled to Japan many times, amongst others on private visits.

More information on the Belgian Economic Mission to Japan on the website www.belgianeconomicmission.be