Toyota executives to meet director general of Israeli Ministry of Economy and delegation of Israeli auto supply companies; Additional meeings to be held with representatives of Honda, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Panasonic, Murata, Densi and others
New Israeli Trade Mission to be Inaugurated in Osaka- Japan’s Second Most Important Business District
Tokyo, Japan. November 19h, 2015- In a sign of strengthening economic relations between Israel and Japan, Amit Lang, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Economy, will inaugurate a new Osaka branch of the ministry’s Japan trade mission. Lang is also heading a business delegation of Israeli automotive supply companies as part of his working visit to the country.
“Over the past year, there has been a noted increase in the interest of Japanese companies in Israel in a variety of fields, evidenced by the arrival of Japanese companies to Israel and their willingness to host Israeli companies in Japan”, said Lang. “Establishing a trade office in Osaka together with the backing the Israeli Ministry of Economy gives companies active in Japan bolsters their ability to break into the Japanese market and their chances of success”.
The goal of the Israeli delegation, organized with the Israel Export Institute, is to create business ties between Israeli companies and potential business partners in the field of auto services in an effort to increase exports to Japan. It also aims at presenting Japanese companies with possibilities of investing in Israel.
Israeli companies will gain significant exposure in three main events:
- A seminar and private meetings in Osaka in cooperation with the Osaka Trade Bureau and the Japanese Ministry of Economy. Some 130 people will be in attendance, including representatives of Honda, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Panasonic, Murata and others. More than 60 business meetings are expected to take place during the event.
- An Israeli innovation day at the Denso offices. Denso is the world’s leading manufacturer of car parts. Denso has 184 subsidiaries and its annual sales exceed $35 billion. During the event, representatives of the Israeli companies will meet representatives from Denso’s purchasing, network and security departments and others.
- An innovation day at Toyota offices. During this event, members of the delegation will meet with more than 50 representatives from the purchasing and R&D departments of the company.
“This is the first time in which Toyota managers agreed to host such a delegation”, said Noa Asher, the Israeli Ministry of Economy’s Trade Representative in Japan. “This is a significant sign that Japanese automakers are beginning to see Israel as a source of technological innovation and that the solutions being developed in Israel will help Japanese companies win the hearts of car buyers”.
Toyota is one of the world’s top two car manufacturers, employing more than 330,000 people with revenue exceeding $300 billion per year. The company is considered a world leader in new methods of developing and manufacturing vehicles, and the Toyota Production System developed in the company has revolutionized the auto industry and influenced other industries as well.
Earlier this week, an inauguration ceremony was held for the Israeli trade office in Osaka, serving western Japan. More than 100 senior Japanese officials took part in the event, including representatives of Japanese companies, government authorities, ministries and economic organizations. The office will serve as an executive branch of the Israeli trade mission in Tokyo for meetings and for creating opportunities with local companies in the Kansai region and western Japan, including Panasonic, Sharp, Omaron, Murata, Suntory, Kyocera and others.
Kansai is considered the second most important business district in Japan after Tokyo. It is located in western Japan and is the cultural and historical heart of Japan with more than 20 million people. Osaka and Kyoto are its main cities and four of Japan’s national parks are in the region. It also includes six out of seven of the country’s top districts with respect to national resources.
Establishing a trade office in western Japan comes following an Israeli government decision taken in January, the result of the work of an inter-ministerial team led by the Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Yossi Katrivas aimed at strengthening economic relations between Japan and Israel. One of the goals of the decision is expanding the India-China Fund of the Foreign Trade Administration at the Israeli Ministry of Economy to include Japan as a target country. The fund helps Israeli companies set up marketing representation in target countries. A call for submissions for companies interesting in receiving support from the ministry was published over the past months.
During the visit, Director General Lang of the Israeli Ministry of Economy will meet with officials from leading Tokyo and Osaka-based companies, including electronics manufacturer Kyocera, food and beverage company Suntory, robotics company Yaskawa, chemical company Tijin and electronics company TDK. In addition, he will meet the head of the planning committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and with the Keidanren – the Japanese Industrial Association.
According to the Foreign Trade Administration at the Israeli Ministry of Economy, trade between Israel and Japan reached $2.3 billion in 2014, with exports reaching $800 million and imports $1.5 billion.
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