Duesseldorf’s Office of Economic Development is committed to supporting Japanese companies and startups in the dynamic capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Theresa Winkels, who heads the office, Annette Klerks, head of its International Business Service, and Benjamin Leonhardt from its Japan Desk, speak about the latest developments in the city.
Access the full interview: https://bit.ly/DEJP23-DUS
What is the current state of Japanese investment in Duesseldorf?
Winkels: With an average of 20 new companies per year between 2010 and 2020, Duesseldorf has consolidated its role as the leading business location for Japanese companies in continental Europe. After a pandemic-related decline in 2021 and 2022, we (are) once again experiencing a large number of inquiries from Japanese companies and will also see some branch openings of large companies — such as Epson Deutschland GmbH — here, over the course of the year.
Can you tell us about any upcoming investment projects or collaborations between German and Japanese companies in Duesseldorf?
Klerks: The biggest — and most exciting — collaboration between a German and a Japanese company initiated in Duesseldorf is Rakuten Symphony’s rollout of 1&1 5G network, the first fully virtualized 5G network based on Open RAN (Radio Access Network) technology outside of Japan.
What are the long-term goals of Duesseldorf’s Economic Board regarding Japanese investment in the city?
Leonhardt: The main goal in terms of new investments is still to make Duesseldorf known as an interesting business location among Japanese startups. To this end, the cooperation between JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), Digihub, and our Japan Desk within the framework of the Global Acceleration Hub program, in particular, forms an ideal basis, which is exemplified by JETRO’s first-time participation with a Japan booth at this year’s Digital Demo Day, Digihub’s flagship event with more than 250 exhibiting startups and more than 4,500 expected attendees.
In your opinion, what are the benefits of a strong relationship between Germany and Japan, and how does Duesseldorf fit into this?
Winkels: From our viewpoint, you can summarize the benefits, especially for the German side, with three words: trust, loyalty and innovation. As a business location that has profited for more than seven decades from the close cooperation with Japan, Duesseldorf will continue to serve as the main link for German-Japanese relations.
www.duesseldorf.de/international/office-of-economic-development
