Message from EU-side Managing Director

Message from  Manuel HUBERT , EU-side Managing Director　

The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is the ultimate gateway for EU businesses willing to tap into the attractive Japanese market, and for Japanese companies looking for European industrial partners.

The Centre is a unique joint-venture between the European Commission (DG GROW) and the Japanese government (METI). With over 35 years of experience, we are the trusted and reliable partner for businesses seeking to expand their horizons and succeed in Japan and in the EU.

Through its activities, the Centre supports European and Japanese policymakers in fostering strong economic ties between the two regions.

As regards the EU, the Centre addresses the European industrial strategic objectives to drive the transformation to a more sustainable, digital, resilient and globally competitive economy.

Matchmaking, Learning, public procurement and much more

The Centre helps innovative companies export their products and technologies by opening market opportunities and finding local partners. Concretely, for example: we disseminate company profiles across our networks of European and Japanese businesses; we organise online and physical matchmaking sessions; we bring European companies to major Japanese trade fairs; we help European companies access Japanese public procurement markets; and we facilitate the collaboration between businesses via our platform of patented technologies.

The Centre is also a vector of knowledge exchange and upskilling through its training offer and students internship programs. On one hand, we equip European managers with the necessary prerequisites to enter the Japanese market or learn about Japanese manufacturing excellence. On the other hand, we offer to the future generations of managers a real-life experience in Japan or Europe and thereby contribute to further expanding EU-Japan relationships.

Green and Digital opportunities

The Green Alliance and the Digital Partnership signed respectively in 2021 and 2022 by Japan and the EU are creating new opportunities for enhanced bilateral collaboration. The Centre’s team is dedicated to help you business secure tangible business partnerships by increasingly targeting our activities towards digital and green technologies.

Our commitment to making the EU and Japan more resilient extends also to helping companies diversify and internationalize their activities, with a dedicated helpdesk for cooperation in third countries.

Japanese business culture

Our knowledgeable staff, multilingual in Japanese and several European languages, is here to help and support your business every step of the way, ensuring your journey is a success. Our dedicated helpdesks are at your service. We also run several webinars about market opportunities in Japan and publish regularly sectoral market reports.

Together with Yasuo Tanabe, Japan-side managing director of the Centre, we are committed to fulfilling our mission and serving as your guide to success. Contact us today and let's explore how to make your journey into the Japanese market a success!

Manuel Hubert's background

Manuel Hubert is the Managing Director (EU-side) of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, and Minister Counsellor at the Delegation of the EU to Japan. He holds a master in Economics and one in Management. He has worked for the last 18 years for the European Commission on financial planning, employment policies, and at addressing barriers to the free movement of workers inside the EU Internal market. For the last six years, he has focused on international dimension of European industrial policies in particular international supply chains partnerships and Free Trade Agreements. Before joining the European Commission, he has worked as economist in private consultancy business and research institutes.