Newsletter 10 November

We are in the final busy stretch of the year, with our Gala coming up on 27 November and our AGM on 15 December.

We are happy to say that we will welcome 240+ guests at the Gala, and want to thank our many generous sponsors. You still have a few days to register as sponsor or as a guest – do not miss it!!

Upcoming BLCCJ Events

-Nippon Export Award 2026-2027

We are happy to announce that Beal International is the winner of this year’s Nippon Export Award. A press release has been sent out on 27 October.

An award ceremony will be held on 10 December at the Belgian Embassy.

-Behind the Scenes of Building Across Asia – webinar with corporate member Showtex

Webinar in the framework of the Asian BeLux Chambers network
Date: Tuesday 24 November, 17:30-19:00 JST
Location: online (Zoom)

-BLCCJ Gala 2026: Friendships Across Centuries
Celebrating 160 years of BEL-JPN and 100 years of LUX-JPN relations

Date: Friday 27 November, 18:30-23:00
Location: Conrad Tokyo, Kazanami
Fee: JPY 32,500 members and guests / JPY 37,500 non-members
Sponsor deadline: 12 November
Signup deadline: 16 November

-Belgian shop @ Belgian Beer Weekend Shinjuku

Date: 2-6 December
Location: Shinjuku Sumitomo Bldg. – Sankaku Hiroba

-Year-end beer gathering @ Belgian Beer Weekend Shinjuku

Date: Wednesday 2 December, 19:00-22:00
Location: Shinjuku Sumitomo Bldg. – Sankaku Hiroba

Inter-Chamber Kansai Bonenkai 2026

Date: Monday 7 December, 18:30-20:30
Location: Pizzeria Salvatore Cuomo Umeda, Osaka

-Save-the-date! BLCCJ AGM 2026

Date: Tuesday 15 December, 18:30-20:00
Location: Belgian Embassy in Tokyo
The AGM will be followed by a dinner at Aux Bacchanales Kioicho.

-Save-the-date! 11th Inter-Chamber Ski & Snowboard Weekend 2027

Date: Saturday 30 January 2027
Location: Okushiga Kogen, Nagano

News from and for the BLCCJ members

-BLCCJ will soon be starting an Instagram account, so make sure to follow us!

You can also find us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

-We are happy to welcome a new member into the BLCCJ network: Starter member Dimitri Degraeve, intern at STS Forum.

He will be helping out at our Gala!

-BLCCJ member Michel De Vriendt is leading the peace initiative Sakura Bridges of Hope – 桜でつなぐ希望の架け橋. On 11 and 12 October a whole program was dedicated to this initiative at the International Christian University, and more projects are in the pipeline. You can find more information in this report.

-Member restaurant Champ de Soleil is welcoming bonenkai season with a special bonenkai plan until 19 December.
That will be the last day before the restaurant closes its doors for good in Kanda.

-Armani ristorante has started a new concept: 47 roots

The Armani Chef incorporates famous products and dishes from one of the Japanese prefectures into his carefully curated menus – this fall menu features Iwate prefecture.

BLCCJ members enjoy a free welcome drink upon making a reservation (please contact our office).

-The end of the year is approaching – time to think of the BLCCJ Christmas Basket!

Is your company doing a promotion for the holidays, a special seasonal sale?

Do you have products/services that you want to promote amongst the BLCCJ members with the holiday season coming up?

Please inform us of all the details by Friday 20 November, and we will gladly include it in our Christmas Basket mailing.

News from related organizations

-The Belgian Embassy is looking for staff:

a driver & logistics assistant
an assistant to the political section with strong translation and interpretation skills

Native Japanese skills are required for both positions.
More information here.
Deadline to submit documents is 15 November.

-BLCCJ members are welcome to join the luncheon organized by AHK Japan with Jean Asselborn, former Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg

Date: Thursday 19 November, 12:00-14:00
Location: Happo-en Tokyo, Room KIOTO
Fee: JPY 9,900 BLCCJ members (please select EBC member when registering) / JPY 13,200 non-members
For more information and to register, please click here.

-Credendo is the world’s second-oldest public credit insurer. They are active in all segments of trade credit and political risk insurance, providing a range of products that cover risks worldwide. A mission of Credendo is visiting Japan in November. If you would like to hear more about their activities or set up a meeting, please contact Mr. Antoine Demey: A.Demey@credendo.com

-BLCCJ is an official supporter of the 62nd Daijob Career Fair.

Date: Friday 11 December, 16:30-20:30
Location: Akihabara UDX 2F AKIBA_SQUARE

-BLCCJ is giving its patronage to The 5th Symposium for Belgian Studies: Commemorating 160 Years of Japan-Belgium Diplomacy and Friendship

Date: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December
Location: Meiji Gakuin University, Shirokane Campus

-The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is looking for host companies for their Vulcanus in Japan 2027-2028 programme – deadline is 15 December.

You can find more information in English and Japanese in the programme fact sheet.

Host company information
Online application form

-The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is also organizing several missions to Japan in the first half of 2027, with deadlines coming up soon:

-The Global Development Conference (GDC) will take place on 15 & 16 December in Tokyo. BLCCJ member companies are welcome to join the Co-Creation Lab tables, which carries no fee. Places are limited. If interested, please click on “Request to attend in Tokyo” on conf2026.gdn.int

-Belgian French-speaking rock band BAKA will tour in Japan in October 2027, and is looking for financial partners and supporters to help bring the tour to life and maximize its impact. You can find more information here.

A few recent news headlines

Consumption tax cut bill passes Japan’s lower house (Mainichi Japan, 6 November)
No. of Japanese newborns rises for 1st time in 11 yrs in Jan.-June of 2026 (Mainichi Japan, 4 November)

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming BLCCJ events!