October 2015

On October 5, during the visit of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls to Japan, JETRO concluded a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with Business France, a new organization created through the integration of the Invest in France Agency (AFII) and Ubifrance in January this year, toward enhancing partnership in promoting trade and investment between France and Japan. In addition to promotion of two-way direct investment, this MOC also includes cooperation in third countries from the perspective of promoting France-Japan collaboration in Africa, where France has historically maintained a strong presence in the business field, as well as collaboration in interaction of industrial clusters, which will contribute to rejuvenation in local regions of both countries.

The MOC documents were exchanged between Chief Executive Officer Muriel Pénicaud of Business France and JETRO President Yasushi Akahoshi in the presence of the Prime Ministers of both countries following their summit meeting.

As the first joint project of the two organizations after concluding the MOC, JETRO invited executives of approximately 40 French companies, who visited Japan in the company of PM Valls, to its headquarters in Tokyo and provided them with a brief introduction about the advantages of the Japanese market and JETRO’s support programs related to investment into Japan.

With the conclusion of this MOC, JETRO will enhance support for two-way business exchange between France and Japan, help strengthen the industrial competitiveness of Japan, including local regions, and contribute to the growth strategy of the Japanese Government.