Following an incredibly successful Greater Manchester mission to Japan in December 2023, last month MIDAS returned to Japan to spend a week meeting with partners and companies. 

Rachel Eyre, Head of Advanced Manufacturing at MIDAS and David Hilton, Business Development Director at MIDAS undertook a productive mission to strengthen existing relationships and explore new business opportunities. 

Highlights from the week included: 

Day 1: Osaka 

The trip commenced with official meetings at the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Osaka City Government, and Osaka Business Development Agency 

The MIDAS team discussed Manchester and Osaka’s ongoing relationship and the plans to return to Japan for Osaka Expo in June 2025, gaining valuable insights into the expo's development and prospects.  

In the afternoon, the team visited Nippon Electric Glass to update on what’s been happening with NEG and Greater Manchester since their last meeting with President Kishimoto-san in Japan last year. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of Wigan to Nippon Electric Glass and to reinforce the mutual commitment to future partnerships. 

The day concluded with dinner at the British Consulate alongside the Panasonic team. With it being an opportunity to reflect on the progress made with the GM-Panasonic MOU over the last year and look forward to continued collaboration into 2025. 

Day 2: Kyoto/Kusatsu 

The morning started with business meetings with companies in Kyoto, where the team discussed opportunities for Japanese businesses in Greater Manchester, with a specific focus on manufacturing and innovation. 

The afternoon agenda included a visit to Kusatsu to get a glimpse of Panasonic’s factory and see the Hx site in action. MIDAS met with the wider Panasonic team who gave an update on their plans and priorities, with the opportunity for MIDAS to update on GM’s new 5-year environment plan and how the city region is working towards the Carbon Neutral 2038 goal.  

A tour of the Hx site offered valuable insights into technological innovations. The team even managed to arrange for the Mancunian weather to make an appearance.  

Day 3: Nagoya: 

Onto Day 3 which started in Nagoya, meeting Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The discussions highlighted shared strengths in advanced materials, aerospace, automotive sectors, and innovation ecosystems. MIDAS looks forward to future collaborations with NCCI.  

Subsequent meetings with key companies then took place, covering a wide range of topics, from advanced materials, advanced machinery and clean energy, to cyber security and semiconductors. 

 Day 4 and 5: Tokyo: 

The concluding days were based in Tokyo to finish a busy week. Over the course of the two days, the team met with numerous companies, which was met with much interest and enthusiasm about Greater Manchester.  

Another highlight was meeting the British Embassy Investment team to update on activity and priorities across key subsectors.  

After a successful week, MIDAS looks ahead to joining the Greater Manchester mission to Japan on 16th-20th June 2025, where the team will be attending the Osaka Expo as well as holding meetings and events in Tokyo and Osaka. 

Closer to home, Manchester will also be hosting Japan Week on 4th-9th September 2025, with more details of MIDAS’ activity around Japan Week set to be announced over the coming months.