This was the first physical business mission to Japan organised by the EU-Japan Centre in 2 years and also the last one for which participants needed visas, shortly before COVID-related immigration restrictions where repealed.

The 4-day mission started with meetings at the EU-Japan Biotech & Pharma Partnering Conference 2022 in Osaka, a hybrid event, jointly organised by the EU-Japan Centre and the Osaka Prefectural Government. Altogether 38 European and 59 participants from Japan joined this first on-site event after 2 years of online-only partnering.

From there, participants travelled to Yokohama, where they exhibited for 3 days as part of the EU-Japan Centre booth at BioJapan, Asia’s largest Bio Partnering event. Centre’s staff and interpreters helped with communication at the stand while many participants had a busy meeting schedule in the fair’s dedicated partnering area.

Japanese visitors showed a great interest in foreign companies’ products and technologies and were glad to meet European participants in person. Some of the Mission’s participants were able to secure very promising additional meetings even after the official programme and are now busy with follow-up after a packed week in Japan.