Credit: Chronicle.lu

On Tuesday 25 February 2025, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce held a press conference at it headquarters in Luxembourg-Kirchberg in advance of an event for companies interested in the upcoming Expo2025 in Osaka, Japan, which is taking place between 13 April and 13 October 2025.

The Chamber of Commerce will be organising three Trade Missions to Expo2025:

- 24-31 May, multi-sectorial (Tokyo, Osaka) with the Grand Duke and Deputy PM Xavier Bettel
- 12-18 July, Space sector (Tokyo, Osaka) with the Crown Prince Guillaume, Ministers Delles and Obertin
- 14-19 July, ICT, FinTech, Robotics, Health and AI (Tokyo, Osaka), with Ministers Delles and Obertin.

Fernand Ernster, President of the Chamber of Commerce, presented a history of the World Expo and Luxembourg's participation which will be happening for the 24th time in 2025, with its first attendance in 1851. He explained that it is an opportunity to reach 28 million visitors from 161 countries worldwide and 25 international organisations. He also talked about meeting

Luxembourg's Minister for the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, talked about the ministry collaborating with the chamber in the three trade missions to Japan and the Expo2025 in Osaka, confirming that he will attend along with Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, and Grand Duke Henri, and will include an official reception in honour of Luxembourg's national day. He talked about the ambitious economic programme aligned with recent efforts to promote Luxembourg in Japan.

André Hansen, responsible for the Luxembourg pavilion, talked about the exhibition space and its technical features which will be presenting Luxembourg's countryside landscape and its innovation landscape, as well as a gastronomic meeting place. He confirmed that, similar to Expo2020 in Dubai, the Luxembourg pavilion will have a collaboration with the EHTL (Luxembourg's School of Hospitality and Tourism) in Diekirch.

Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, talked about the importance of Tokyo in the chamber's trade missions, stressing its importance alongside New York and London as a financial centre. Concerning bilateral trade with Japan, in 2023 Luxembourg imported €351 million of goods and exported €78 million; in services, Luxembourg imported €244 million and exported €959 million. He touched on Expo2025 being an international window for Luxembourgish companies in four main areas: international visibility and attractiveness, strategic markets, reinforcing economic and diplomatic relations, and accelerating innovation.

He recapped the three trade visits to the Expo2025 and mentioned that the Grand Duke will attend in person on 29 May.

Following the press conference, the Chamber of Commerce hosted an Info Day for interested companies based in Luxembourg, with around 80 people registering to attend the event.

Cindy Tereba, CTO & Director International Affairs, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, presented the economic programme of the chamber, expressing that such activities "come with a cultural challenge" where cultural understanding is essential to do business in the world's third largest economy. The Expo2025 provides a unique gateway to the Japanese market. Luxembourg has a dedicated Trade and Investment Office (LTIO) in Tokyo which she described as an invaluable resource to help Luxembourg companies. She also mentioned a high-level trade mission led by Luxembourg's Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, that will take place in June on the AgriFood sector.

Japan's Ambassador to Luxembourg, Tadahiro Matsubara, addressed the company representatives present and said that the event was a great opportunity for Luxembourg companies to get informed about what to expect and receive useful insights. He looked back on 2024 bilateral relations between the two countries, mentioning Deputy Prime Minister Bettel's visit last January. He then turned attention to 2025 and mentioned Prime Minister Frieden's involvement in the micro mover which he hopes to see landing on the moon. He referenced Expo2025 and said that he would welcome Luxembourg's three trade missions this year.

Marc Jacobs, Associate Partner at TheCultureFactor Group, talked about navigating the cultural aspect while doing business in Japan, and Artyom Yukhin, President and CEO at Artec 3D, presented a company testimonial entitled "How to do business in Japan – practical insights and tips!". He explained that respect for authority is very important in Japan.

The programme included a networking break during which attendees could browse a number of dedicated information stands which were available for further information on the economic programme and the Luxembourg pavilion, including: the Embassy of Japan in Luxembourg, Sakura Voyages Travel Agency, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Tsume Art, Nonbé and iSpace.

ED

(Photo caption: Ambassador of Japan to Luxembourg, Tadahiro Matsubara; Credit: Chronicle.lu)