Greece as an investment destination is the focus of Mitsotakis’ meeting with a delegation of Japanese companies

Represented by the national Japanese business body KEIDANREN and high-ranking executives of leading Japanese companies who are visiting Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in the morning at the Maximos Palace.

During the meeting, the prime minister had the opportunity to present to his interlocutors the significant progress that has been made in recent years to create a friendly investment environment in Greece, as well as the investment opportunities presented to Japanese companies.

The Japanese delegation, for its part, expressed interest in exploring the possibility of investments in the energy and transport sectors.

The two sides also discussed further ways of attracting investment to our country, increasing the number of tourists from Japan and cooperation in our wider region, with an emphasis on the Western Balkans.

On the Greek side, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Outreach Konstantinos Fragogiannis, the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister Ambassador Anna-Maria Boura, the Head of the Economic Office of the Prime Minister Alexis Patelis and the Counselor of the Embassy participated in the meeting. in the Asia and Oceania Division Dimitrios Michalopoulos.

On behalf of the Japanese delegation, the Ambassador of Japan to Greece, Yasunori Nakayama, the Vice President of KEIDANREN, Chairman of the Committee for Europe of KEIDANREN and Executive Representative of Hitachi Ltd., Toshiaki Higashihara, the Chairman of the Committee for Europe of KEIDANREN and Senior Corporate Counsel of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, Yoshio Sato, the Chairman of the Committee’s Planning and Coordination Subcommittee for Europe at KEIDANREN, and Executive Counselor of Hitachi Ltd., Akira Shimizu, as well as senior executives of Japan Airlines Co. Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Europe GmbH, Nomura Holdings Inc., Sumitomo Deutschland GmbH, ANA Holdings Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV and Sumitomo Life Insurance Company.

At the beginning of the meeting, the following dialogue took place:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Welcome to Athens. We are very happy that a delegation of important Japanese companies is interested in what is happening in Greece. I have always been a firm supporter of strengthening the relations between Greece and Japan. And I believe that your visit comes at the right time to further discuss the economic ties between our two countries.

As you know, the Greek economy has been doing quite well for the past 3 years, outperforming the Eurozone in terms of growth. We have the fastest reduction in debt as a percentage of GDP in the eurozone. And we have succeeded in turning Greece into an attractive destination for foreign direct investment, leveraging our comparative advantages as well as our important regional position.

Therefore, I believe that this is the right time to discuss in more detail the possibility of cultivating stronger economic ties, at the level of direct investment by Japanese companies in Greece, which will not only target the Greek market but also the wider region, but also explore the prospect of more Greek exports to Japan and capitalize on the fact that we maintain traditional economic ties mainly in the shipping sector.

Many Greek shipowners have chosen and continue to choose Japan for the construction of their ships. We also have areas of common interest in the field of foreign policy but also a common understanding of how important International Law is in resolving disputes in maritime zones. We have common problems in these matters and common challenges.

And of course, we can discuss strengthening our ties in terms of tourism. This year was a record year for our tourism. And we would like to see more Greeks traveling to Japan and more Japanese traveling to Greece.

And of course – as you will know – we are planning a personal official visit by myself, hopefully accompanied by a significant delegation of businessmen, to Japan sometime in early 2023. And considering that you will have the G7 presidency, I think that would be the right time. to visit Japan I stop here. Welcome back to Greece and thank you for your interest in our country.

Yoshio Sato: Thank you very much, Your Excellency, Prime Minister. Thank you very much for devoting your time to KEIDANREN dealership despite your busy schedule.

My name is Yoshio Sato and I am the chairman of the Committee for Europe of KEIDANREN. I am leading this mission together with Mr. Toshiaki Higashihara, who co-chairs the Commission with me.

Japan and Greece are maritime nations and develop bilateral relations, since they share common values ​​such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law. At the economic level, Greece is on a path of steady recovery having overcome the financial crisis.
Trade between Japan and Greece is growing at a steady pace based on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. So we are visiting your country as a high level representative of large Japanese business.

Meanwhile, the global community is faced with serious challenges. The attack against Ukraine was a flagrant violation of the principles of International Law and can in no way be justified or tolerated. We should react unitedly, strengthening the solidarity of countries that share common values ​​with the aim of preventing unilateral changes of the status quo by force. As geopolitical tensions worsen, reducing our dependence is in our common interest.

During our stay in Athens, we are keen to learn about your strategy for diversifying supply chains, as both Japan and Greece import significant amounts of energy resources. Since last year, too, we have been eager to exchange views on how we can realize the goal of how we can restore orderly functioning of a free and open international economy in the midst of such a difficult geopolitical situation.

In addition, we would like to know about the prospects of your relationship with China, as your country has established close economic relations with China through the “One Belt and One Road” Initiative. Last but not least, KEIDANREN seeks to contribute to the further development of Japan-Greece bilateral relations through private sector diplomacy. Thank you very much.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Thank you.

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