JBCE Hosts the Inaugural Session of the EU-Japan High-Level Industrial Cooperation Workshop

On 9 October, the Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE) was delighted to host the inaugural session of its EU-Japan High-Level Industrial Cooperation Workshop.

This new initiative, which JBCE intends to develop into a series of sector-focused workshops, aims to complement existing EU–Japan dialogue frameworks by creating a platform where industry leaders and policymakers can jointly explore opportunities for closer collaboration in strategic industrial sectors.

The first workshop focused on AI/robotics and batteries, two strategic areas where European and Japanese expertise can complement one another.

We were honoured to welcome Kerstin Jorna Director-General of DG GROW and Masayoshi Arai, Vice-Minister for International Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), who delivered opening remarks on cooperation in economic security.

We are also grateful to the many organisations that contributed to the discussions, including Asahi Kasei, Fujitsu, Mazda Motor Europe, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC Corporation, Panasonic, Shimadzu Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan’s Battery Association for Supply Chain (BASC), Comau, Energy Storage Europe, RECHARGE, Sisteplant, DG GROW, METI, the Mission of Japan to the European Union, Merck Group, the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and ABB Robotics.

We would like to thank all the speakers and participants from both Europe and Japan who shared their expertise and insights, contributing to constructive discussions during the plenary and sector-specific sessions.