Investment seminar in Japan

On November 21, 2025, an investment seminar was held in Tokyo to present Slovakia's investment and business potential to Japanese companies. The seminar, which took place at the seat of the EU Delegation – Europa House, was co-organized by the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Tokyo.

More than 20 representatives of Japanese companies were welcomed by Roman Hauser, Economic Diplomat at the Slovak Embassy in Tokyo. In his opening speech, he highlighted the activities of already established Japanese companies in Slovakia, as well as the further potential for new investors.

The opening was followed by a presentation by SARIO's Head of Investment Projects SARIO, Simona Jurkovičová, who introduced participants to the business environment in Slovakia and the forms of support available through the regional investment aid scheme, in addition to SARIO's services. In the presentation of key sectors of the Slovak economy, special emphasis was placed on sectors such as the automotive, defense, and aerospace industries, as well as ICT, which offer Japanese companies opportunities not only for manufacturing operations but also for R&D activities.

Manuel Hubert, Managing Director of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, outlined in his presentation the activities of this institution, which are aimed at deepening Japanese-European trade and investment relations. Among other things, he presented the Invest in EU Hub, which helps Japanese companies obtain all the necessary information about the 27 member countries, and the centre's upcoming events. 

The investment seminar continued with a presentation by Go Shimuta, Senior Director for Global Strategy (Europe) at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The presentation included the results of a recent survey conducted by the agency among Japanese companies operating in Europe, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe. The survey mainly concerned the future activities and plans of these companies.

The last part of the seminar was devoted to presenting the experiences of specific Japanese companies with the Slovak market. TAKENAKA was represented by Takeshi Kojima, Associate General Manager of the International Sales and Marketing Division. In addition to its successful projects in Slovakia, he also highlighted Slovakia's advantages within the region, particularly in terms of construction costs and the availability and price of labor required for construction.

The last presentation introduced the operations of Nippon Express, which operates in Slovakia under the Cargo Partner brand. Hidetaka Moriyama, Group General Manager of Nippon Express, introduced the services that the company can offer not only to Japanese investors.

The investment seminar provided the participants with the opportunity to gain a comprehensive overview of investment opportunities in Slovakia and establish new contacts during the networking session that followed the presentations.