The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation embarked on its first Smart Factory & Robotics Business mission by participating in Smart Factory Expo 2025 / Factory Innovation Week. The event, which took place at Tokyo Big Sight from 22 to 24 January, attracted an impressive number of 85,430 visitors.

The mission began with a visit to the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), where participants explored innovative smart factory solutions showcased in their Smart Factory model room. This insightful experience paved the way for engaging in an informal networking event with representatives from EU Trade Promotion Organisations based in Tokyo. During the expo, the EU-Japan Centre exhibited alongside six pioneering SMEs from Portugal, Estonia, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. These companies showcased a range of cutting-edge technologies and services at the EU-Japan Centre’s collaborative booth, including digital twins, software platforms for energy solutions, product inspection systems, and advanced robotics solutions. To maximise opportunities for the exhibitors, the EU-Japan Centre organised pre-arranged business meetings, allowing them to connect with prominent Japanese firms visiting their booth. In addition, the EU-Japan Centre cooperates on projects of common interest with EU Member States’ Trade Promotion Organisations based in Japan. For the Smart Factory Expo, the Austrian trade promotion organisation Advantage Austria joined the booth to co-exhibit, showcasing cutting-edge technologies from additional 6 Austrian companies.

Mission participants’ testimonials

“Our participation in the mission was an invaluable experience, providing deep insights into the Japanese market and business culture. The joint booth and support in meeting Japanese companies were particularly beneficial, facilitating meaningful connections. The professionalism of the interpreters and the EU-Japan Centre’s preparation made networking seamless. This mission has laid the foundation for long-term partnerships in Japan. For future participants, I highly recommend leveraging all networking opportunities and engaging actively with local companies.”

By Cristian Amaya, CEO & Co-Founder of ConBotics GmbH 

“The mission was invaluable in providing us with a deeper understanding of the Japanese market and its unique needs. Through this experience, we gained critical insights that have enabled us to develop a more solid and pragmatic strategy for entering the Japanese market. Additionally, we established excellent connections with companies interested in our solutions and agencies eager to support us in finding partners and reaching our target audience.
The most beneficial aspects of the mission were the joint booth, the interpreters, the materials prepared by the EU-Japan Centre, and the exceptional support provided by the Centre’s staff both prior to and during the mission. These resources allowed us to maintain a physical presence in Japan and engage with numerous companies, which would have been challenging otherwise. We are also hopeful that the Centre’s continued support in following up with the companies we connected with will prove to be highly valuable.
Overall, the experience was overwhelmingly positive and critical in kick-starting our journey into the Japanese market. For future participants, our advice is simple: take full advantage of the incredible opportunities and support provided by the EU-Japan Centre.”

By André Luz and Bruna Bento, General Manager and Functional Analyst of Operation at Infinite Foundry

Published: March 2025