The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Atlanta invites Georgia companies seriously considering establishing a presence in Japan to explore opportunities there through its business tie-up programs and incubator facilities.
“We especially invite executives in the areas of health care, environment and information technology to come to Japan,” JETRO Atlanta’s new chief executive director, Shinkichi Kiuchi, told GlobalFax in an interview at the organization’s downtown Atlanta headquarters last week.
Executives participating in JETRO’s Export to Japan Study Program (EJSP) or the Invest in Japan Study Program (IJSP) in Tokyo attend seminars on doing business in Japan and are introduced to potential Japanese business partners.
Mr. Kiuchi also encourages Georgia companies to take advantage of JETRO’s six Business Support Centers (BSCs) in Japan, where office space, equipment and Japanese advisers are provided free of charge for up to four months.
Ten Georgia companies, including International Business Group Corp., an e-commerce and Internet globalization company, have utilized this incubator program in Japan. Some 2,000 foreign corporations have participated in the program since its inception.
“JETRO’s goal now is to promote foreign imports into Japanese markets and two-way investment. This goal has changed 180 degrees since we began promoting only Japanese exports in 1958,” said Mr. Kiuchi.
For this purpose, JETRO also assists export missions to Japan, coordinates Georgia companies’ presence at trade shows there, arranges business meetings and seminars, while also providing various information on the Japanese market.
Mr. Kiuchi also stressed he would like to work closely together with the state government, U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC) and other similar trade assistance organizations to achieve this goal.
For more information, contact Ms. Yasuko Young at (404) 681-0600.