Japanese business delegation in Malta

Organised by Malta Enterprise with the support of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Italy (CCIGI) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) office in Milan, the delegation comprised 18 businessmen accompanied by personnel from the Japanese Embassy in Rome and the two organisations.

During the visit, delegates were given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the Maltese market and meet the local institutions.

They were given a number of presentations that explained what Malta can offer the Japanese companies, what facilities and infrastructure are available in the country, and what Malta representsin the Mediterranean areaand the possibility of using it as a gateway to other markets.

As part of the visit, which also provided the opportunity to create a network forfuture bilateralcollaborations, members of the delegation were taken to a number of companies operating successfully in the country where they could see in first person the advantages of investing in Malta.

Malta and Japan started their diplomatic relations in 1965 and since then they have developed an economic relation based on both trade and investment.

Last year, Maltese imports from Japan amounted to €40.1 million comprising mostly commodities and engineering such as ships, vehicles and rubber-based products, while on the other hand the value of exports to the Asian country stood at €58.2 million which for the greater part were semiconductorsand IT related parts.

The latest Japanese investment in Malta was made by Konica Minolta, with the company setting up a service office.

The visit is the first one to Malta for the CCGI, which is looking to strengthen the relations between the various organisations in the two countries with a view to fostering trade and business opportunities, also in view of the geographical proximity of Malta to Italy, where it is based.

Italy is Malta’s main trading partner - with €676.4 million worth of exports to Malta and €78.2 million in imports – as well as one of the major sources for investment.