Newsletter 27 August
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We hope you could enjoy some relaxing summer holidays, and are feeling all refreshed for what promises to be a busy fall season!
Upcoming BLCCJ Events:
-Joint Chamber Expo Visit – FULL!
In collaboration with the Austrian, Dutch, French and Swiss Chambers
Date: Tuesday 2 September, 11:30-18:00
Location: Expo Osaka
Date: Thursday 11 September, 19:00-22:00
Location: Belgian Brasserie Court Antwerp Port
-Cross-Chambers Young Professionals Speed Networking
Date: Tuesday 16 September, 18:45-20:30
Location: Otemachi One Tower
-BeLux Asia Chambers Members Online Networking
Date: Wednesday 17 September, 16:00-17:30 JST
Location: online
Date: Tuesday 30 September, 18:00-19:00 JST
Location: online (Zoom)
-Save-the-date! October beer gathering @ BBW Roppongi
Date: Thursday 2 October, 19:00-22:00
Location: Roppongi Hills Arena
-Belgian Beer and Food Academy in Osaka
Date: Thursday 9 October, 18:30-22:00
Location: Hilton Osaka, Windows 35F
We are currently looking for SPONSORSHIP for the menu and the omiyage bags.
In presence of the Belgian and Luxembourg Ambassadors
Date: Friday 10 October, 13:30-18:00
Location: Expo Osaka
-Webinar Understanding Modern Slavery in the Private Sector
In the framework of the BeLux Asia Chambers Network
Date: Thursday 16 October, 17:00-19:00 JST
Location: online
-Joint Chamber European Cocktail 2025
Date: Thursday 23 October, 19:00-21:00
Location: The Capitol Hotel Tokyu
Date: Saturday 25 October, 9:00-12:00
Location: start/end at the Belgian Embassy, run around the Imperial Palace
-Save-the-date! Second edition of the Women’s Discussion Circle
Date: Friday 31 October, 12:00-14:00
Location: Belgian Embassy
-Save-the-date! Company visit to Paul Wurth IHI
Date: Friday 7 November, 14:00-16:00
Location: IHI Corporation
In presence of the Belgian and Luxembourg Ambassadors
Date: Friday 28 November, 18:30-23:00
Location: Conrad Tokyo
Early Bird Fee (until 9/30): JPY 29,500 members / JPY 34,000 non-members
-Save-the-date! Belgian shop @ BBW Shinjuku
Date: 3-7 December
Location: Shinjuku Sumitomo Bldg. – Sankaku Hiroba
For all the event details, please keep check our mailings, website, LinkedIn and Facebook pages!
News from and for the BLCCJ members:
Belgian Beer Weekend 2025 has already held stops at Hibiya, Nagoya, Yokohama, Fukuoka and Osaka this year, but 3 more locations are yet to come:
- BBW Roppongi: 1-5 October @ Roppongi Hills Arena
- NEW: BBW Kyoto: 9-13 October @ Ohigashi-san Square (Higashi Honganji)
- BBW Shinjuku: 3-7 December @ Shinjuku Sumitomo Bldg. – Sankaku Hiroba
News from related organizations:
-BLCCJ is 1 of 18 supporting Chambers of the Japan Market Expansion Competition (JMEC) program. Info sessions for JMEC 32 are now open – don’t miss them if you are interested to hear more about this business program!
-The Financial Management Forums, Inc. seminar “Permitting Essentials for Renewable Energy and Battery Storage Projects in Japan” is open to BLCCJ members
Date: Wednesday 3 September, 18:00-20:00
Location: online (Zoom)
-BLCCJ is an official supporter of the Daijob Career Fair on Friday 5 September
-From 8 till 12 September, we will welcome a large Brussels delegation to Japan.
BLCCJ members (with a business interest) are welcome to the following events:
- Brussels CRAFT Showroom: 8 September, 10:00-17:00 & 9 September, 10:00-16:00 @ Belgian Ambassador’s Residence – register here
- Construction Seminar: 9 September, 14:00-18:00 @ Belgian Embassy – register here
-On Sunday 14 September we will celebrate the Belgian National Day at Expo Osaka. Don’t miss this day full of music, dance, and Belgian spirit!
Full program here.
-On the occasion of the Belgian Day at the Expo Osaka Kansai, 3 Belgian Federal Ministers will bring a visit to Japan in September:
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Labor, Economy and Agriculture David Clarinval and Minister for Public Modernisation, Civil Service, Public Enterprises, Digitalisation and Buildings Administration Vanessa Matz will arrive in Osaka on 13 September. They will visit the Expo, Osaka, Hiroshima, then Tokyo on 16 September.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime Prévot will arrive a few days later and will visit the Expo in Osaka, Tokyo, and finally Nagoya, from 15 to 17 September.
-The MIPRO Startup Seminar “What Constitutes a Practical and Appealing Business Plan?” is open to BLCCJ members
Date: Thursday 18 September, 14:00-15:30
Location: online (Zoom)
-The EU-Japan Center for Industrial Cooperation is organizing several missions in the upcoming months, with application deadlines coming up soon!
- Training mission in Japan for EU managers (Oct/Nov 2025)
- Innovation Business Mission in Japan (Dec 2025)
- Smart Factory & Robotics Business Mission (Jan 2026)
-Ready to boost your business’s visibility? Support SEEEU 2025 – European Photography Month in Tokyo by becoming a partner or sponsor! This festival showcases an extraordinary spectrum of European photography (incl. Belgian artist Laure Winants), turning some of Tokyo’s most frequented locations into dynamic public exhibitions. It will foster meaningful links between Europe and Japan — and new opportunities for you and your company.
More information: www.seeeu.jp / Contact: sophie@koi.lt
-Following the worldwide success of KISS & CRY – seen over 300 times and premiered in Japan 8 years ago in Kochi – Belgian choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael return with COLD BLOOD, fusing dance, film, and theatre in miniature worlds, with Japanese narration by Lily Franky (teaser on Youtube).
Date: Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October
Location: The Museum of Art – Kochi
A few recent news headlines:
- From March 2026, ANA is adding a 3rd weekly flight on the Tokyo-Brussels route (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) – press release of 19 August
- Japan to suspend some US-bound mail on tariff confusion (NHK World – Japan, 26 August)
- Japan to toughen requirements for business manager visa applications (Kyodo News, 26 August)
- Smaller Japanese firms struggle to pass on higher costs (NHK World – Japan, 25 August)
- Japan core consumer prices in July rise 3.1% on persistent food inflation (Mainichi Japan, 22 August)
- Foreign visitors to Japan hit 3.4 million in July, new record for month (Kyodo News, 20 August)
- Osaka Expo ticket sales exceed break-even point (NHK World – Japan, 19 August)
On a final note, BLCCJ General Manager Sophie Bocklandt will represent the Chamber at the upcoming BLCCA Academy (gathering of bi-lateral and local chambers of commerce) on 24 and 25 September in Belgium.
Due to this business trip and the September activity calendar, the next newsletter will come out in October. We count on your understanding.
We hope to see you all at the upcoming BLCCJ events!