The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (æ¥欧ç£æ¥ÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂãÂȋ³ã¿ã¼, nichià Â-sangyà Â-kyà Âryoku sentÃÂ) is a unique collaboration between the European Commission and the Japanese government, established on 15 May 1987.
The founding bodies were the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTR), now succeeded by DG GROW (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs), and JapanâÂÂs Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which was reformed into the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Upon its founding, it was initially called the EC-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (ECç£æ¥ÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂãÂȋ³ã¿ã¼).
With the entry into force of the JapanâÂÂEuropean Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) in February 2019âÂÂmarking a new phase in bilateral relations and encompassing around 40% of global tradeâÂÂthe partnership further deepened through the EU-Japan Green Alliance (2021) and Digital Partnership (2022). In light of this evolving relationship, the EU-Japan Centre, which had been operating since 1987, became an independent corporate entity under Japanese law on 1 July 2020, having previously acted as an affiliate of the IIST/CIEC.
The EU-Japan Centre is headquartered in Tokyo, with its European office, opened in 1996, located in Brussels. It is led by two General ManagersâÂÂone European and one JapaneseâÂÂand has a total staff of approximately 30 people.
The mission of the EU-Japan Centre, a non-profit organisation, is to enhance all forms of industrial, trade, and investment cooperation between Japan and the EU, thereby strengthening the technological capabilities and competitiveness of both the European and Japanese industrial sectors.
The CentreâÂÂs objective is to promote all forms of industrial, trade, science & technology or R&D cooperation between the EU and Japan, as well as to improve EU and Japanese companiesâ competitiveness by facilitating exchanges of expertise and experience through a full range of support services. Notably, the âÂÂVulcanus in Europeâ programme allows EU companies to host a highly skilled Japanese engineering/science student (along with its counterpart âÂÂVulcanus in Japanâ allowing EU students to intern in Japanese companies), while World Class Manufacturing (WCM), Get Ready for Japan, and other trainings and sectorial missions prepare EU companies to establish or expand their business in Japan.
The Business Round Table (BRT) is a yearly meeting between industry leaders, with the main objectives to submit recommendations to the Japanese and European Authorities so as to help develop trade and investment between the EU and Japan, and to encourage industrial cooperation. Several other business services, including intelligence gathering and policy updates, have proven to be a success in developing the partnership between the two economies.
A full overview of current activities can be found at Activities of the EU-Japan Centre in a nutshell.
The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation has increasingly broadened its scope and activities since its establishment in 1987. Since then, the Centre has played an important role in consolidating the links between the European Union and Japan. Here is a timeline of major developments.