Regional Business Conference "JETRO Business Connect 2021" to start from September 15

Sep 15, 2021

Online business matching event to facilitate direct investment in regions by foreign companies

JETRO will hold the online business matching event "JETRO Business Connect 2021" as a program of the "Regional Business Conference" (RBC) aiming to draw foreign companies to regions in Japan.
The RBC project is being implemented with the aim of disseminating information on the attractiveness of local business environments toward foreign companies, which each region is eager to invite, and promoting collaboration, such as with local companies and academia, through making use of JETRO's overseas network. Taking account of the needs of both the government and foreign and foreign-affiliated companies, JETRO recruited local authorities with the desire to invite companies involved in technological fields for healthcare, factories and tourism, and it has been decided that eight will take part. From September 15, this event will start by recruiting foreign companies on a broad scale through the online release of information on technologies and services which each region is seeking, such as for working with local companies, universities and research institutions, as well as solving local social issues.

[Health Tech: New services and technologies related to healthcare important for life with and after COVID-19 (excluding drug discovery and bio-technology)]
Prefectures of Miyagi, Mie, and city of Kyoto

[Factory Tech: Software technologies contributing to the sophistication of manufacturing fields, such as of semiconductors]
Fukuoka Prefecture, and the cities of Kitakyushu and Fukuoka

[Travel Tech: Digital technologies enabling contactless communication, analyses of the movement of people and data and virtual and augmented realities (VR/AR), all of which will become important for tourism in life with and after COVID-19]
Prefectures of Hokkaido and Kyoto

From September 15, the recruitment of participant foreign companies will start. In line with this, a special RBC webpage (English only) will be launched. It will include videos and documents of presentations on technologies and services each local government is seeking.

Official webpage for JETRO Business Connect

Mid-September to mid-October:

Application period for foreign and foreign-affiliated companies (Deadline: October 15)

End of October:

Participating foreign companies will be decided

End of November:

Opening pitch event

December to March 2022:

Business matching

Since fiscal 2018, JETRO has been promoting the attractive business environments of regions toward the rest of the world and implementing the RBC project with the aim of facilitating direct investment in regions by foreign and foreign-affiliated companies.
In fiscal 2021, based on the Strategy for Promoting Direct Investment in Japan decided upon at an Invest Japan government conference on June 2, this project will be implemented in order to enhance matching between foreign and foreign-affiliated companies and local governments and companies in Japan. Specifically, regarding the themes set by the needs of both the government and foreign and foreign-affiliated companies, JETRO will conduct activities based on the results of matching meetings between participant local governments and foreign and foreign-affiliated companies—such as invitation or tour programs for foreign and foreign-affiliated companies anticipating cooperation or the establishment of a business base in the target region and business talks between foreign and domestic companies.