EU and Japanese regional leaders met in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand local-level cooperation ranging from tourism and academic exchanges to trade and investment.
The meeting on 2 June brought together ambassadors from the EU and its member states and the governors and vice-governors of nine Japanese prefectures, the European External Action Service (EEAS) reported.
EU Ambassador to Japan Jean-Eric Paquet said he had visited all 47 Japanese prefectures and found “outstanding companies” and “a lot of interest” among local authorities in building links with Europe.
Nagano Governor Shuichi Abe, who was identified as chairman of Japan’s National Governors’ Association, said it was becoming harder for regions or countries to address current challenges alone and called for cross-border cooperation.
He declared that building links between EU representatives and Japan’s prefectures and municipalities could help share experience and know-how and support practical cooperation.
Areas discussed: trade, tourism and innovation
Talks covered potential cooperation on trade and investment promotion, industrial cooperation, tourism, innovation, academic exchanges and regional “attractiveness strategies”, the EU Delegation to Japan said.
The discussions also included business internationalisation, collaboration among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovation ecosystems, as well as “sustainable and resilient economic development.”
The meeting took place against what the EU Delegation to Japan described as growing EU engagement with Japan in areas including economic security, digital transformation, the green transition, connectivity and research cooperation.
