JETRO Topics

Opening of JETRO Saitama

November 2019

JETRO opened its 48th domestic office in Saitama on November 1, holding the opening ceremony on November 28. The prefecture possesses industrial clusters encompassing a broad range of fields, of which the number of manufacturing sites ranks third in Japan, and product development bases of cutting-edge industrial fields which are expected to cultivate international competitiveness. As it is located within the Greater Tokyo Area, the transportation network is convenient and accessible. It also has high quality agricultural, forestry and fishery products and processed food such as Japanese sake, tea and vegetables.

Established at the request of the prefecture as well as local economic circles, JETRO Saitama will proactively assist local companies in expanding overseas and contribute to vitalizing the local economy under the catchphrase “Spreading Saitama’s wings around the world through JETRO’s ability to ‘connect’.”

High expectations by Governor Ono

The opening ceremony, which featured a ribbon cutting, was joined by 61 people representing local economic institutions and authorities including Governor Motohiro Ono of Saitama Prefecture; Mayor Hayato Shimizu of Saitama City; State Minister Hideki Makihara of Economy, Trade and Industry; Director-General Nario Kadono of the Kanto Bureau of Economy Trade and Industry; Director-General Jun Koda of the Kanto Regional Agricultural Administration Office; and Chairman Kazuyoshi Ikeda of the Federation of Saitama Prefecture Chambers of Commerce and Industry and JETRO Saitama. In his guest remarks, Governor Ono expressed his expectations, saying, "I hope for JETRO's organizational capacity and excellent human resources to act as a bridge between attractive local SMEs and the world." State Minister Makihara made a call for participants to utilize JETRO Saitama in a proactive manner, stating that "In the midst of population decline, I would like for local companies to not only continue operating in Japan, but also take on the challenge of entering the global market by using JETRO Saitama as a launching point."

Launching ceremony

Greeting by Chairman and CEO Sasaki

Greeting by Saitama Governor Ono

Greeting by State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Makihara

At the reception joined by 160 people from local companies and industrial circles, numerous expectations toward JETRO Saitama were heard, such as, "I hope for JETRO to help invigorate local companies," and "I want JETRO to be a crosslink to the world in collaboration with excellent local companies and communities." Within the venue, a corner offering local Japanese sake was set up under the cooperation of the Saitama Sake Brewers Association, which is involved in overseas business expansion, where participants were able to enjoy sake produced by 21 of the prefecture’s brewers.

JETRO Saitama will conduct activities focusing on the following four pillars:

  1. Assisting the expansion of overseas sales channels in advanced industries such as medical innovation and robotics
  2. Assisting entry into new markets for local products including agricultural products, as typified by Sayama Tea, Japanese sake and processed food
  3. Providing trade and investment consultation and human resource matching
  4. Drawing overseas investment and facilitating the flow of inbound tourism

Sake cask breaking ceremony

Corner by the Saitama Sake Brewers Association offering Japanese sake to visitors