L-R: HRH the Grand Duke; Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
Credit: MAEE
Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, and His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri yesterday visited the company FANUC on the outskirts of Tokyo during a three-day working visit to Japan (24-26 October 2019).
On Thursday, the Grand Duke, who was in Tokyo to attend the official ceremony for Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement, and Minister Asselborn visited FANUC, located at the foot of Mount Fuji. The company, whose European hub is in Echternach, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrial robots. In addition to a visit of the R&D centre and the assembly line, Grand Duke Henri and Jean Asselborn exchanged views with the company's managers.
In response to expected growth, FANUC's parent company in Japan has focused heavily on R&D and the expansion of its production capacity. FANUC leaders recalled the importance of Luxembourg as a European hub and welcomed the excellent trade relations between Japan and Luxembourg. It should be noted that in 2012, the company made Luxembourg its European headquarters.
Today, the second day of this visit, Minister Asselborn accompanied the Grand Duke to a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Both parties first took stock of the excellent bilateral relations that exist between Luxembourg and Japan. They also highlighted the important economic relations between the two countries, mentioning in particular the significant figures of trade and investment flows between the Grand Duchy and Japan, as well as the significant presence of Japanese actors in the financial services sector.
Indeed, the year 2017 saw Japan become Luxembourg's largest trading partner in Asia in terms of merchandise trade, which has grown continuously and reached around €500 million in 2018. Similarly, the volumes traded between the two countries reached €1.7 billion in 2018, compared with €1.08 billion in 2016.
