EU-Japan Centre & EU Business in Japan: The Complete Guide for European SMEs
What the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation actually offers European SMEs entering Japan, every free service mapped, who funds it, who qualifies, how to start, and how it compares to JETRO.
- The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is a joint EU (DG GROW) and Japanese (METI) institution, founded in 1987, that helps European SMEs trade with, invest in, and partner in Japan, most of it free
- Its EU Business in Japan platform holds 500+ reports and webinars covering sectors, regulation, tax, IP, and business culture
- The headline free services for SMEs are Step in Japan (a free Tokyo hot desk and landing pad), Market Access Workshops, the EPA Helpdesk, and the Enterprise Europe Network Japan node
- It is funded by the European Commission and METI, so participants pay nothing for most programmes
- Silkdrive founder Patric Sawada is an accredited EU-Japan Centre expert who has delivered its Market Access Workshops to Polish, Czech, and Swedish SME cohorts; this guide maps the platform so you can use it directly
If you run or advise a European SME looking at Japan, there is a publicly funded institution built specifically to help you, and most of what it offers is free. It is also under-used, partly because its services are spread across two domains and a dozen programme names.
This guide maps the whole thing: what the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is, who pays for it, every service worth knowing, who qualifies, and how to start. It is published by Silkdrive, a Netherlands-based cross-cultural growth marketing agency. Our founder, Patric Sawada, is an accredited EU-Japan Centre expert who has delivered the Centre's Market Access Workshops to Polish, Czech, and Swedish SME cohorts, so this is a guide written from inside the programme, not a directory scrape.
What the EU-Japan Centre is (and who funds it)
The EU-Japan Centre is a joint venture between the European Commission (DG GROW) and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), established on 15 May 1987. It has offices in Brussels and Tokyo, and its job is to deepen industrial, trade, and investment cooperation between the two economies.
The funding model is the part that matters to you: because the Centre is financed by the Commission and METI, most of its SME services cost nothing. You are not the customer being monetised; you are the policy outcome. That changes how you should approach it. Use it generously and early.
Two web properties, one organisation:
- eu-japan.eu — the institution: programmes, workshops, missions, helpdesks, calls.
- eubusinessinjapan.eu (also at eu-japan.eu/eubusinessinjapan) — EU Business in Japan (EUBIJ), the information platform, home to 500+ reports and webinars on sectors, regulation, tax, IP, and business culture.
The free services, mapped
Step in Japan — your Tokyo landing pad
Step in Japan gives EU-based SMEs a free hot desk in Tokyo on the Centre's own premises, with internet and phone, for up to one month (maximum two beneficiaries per time slot), plus access to meeting and seminar facilities, a help desk for any Japan business question, Enterprise Europe Network support while you are in-country, and an intercultural crash course. For a company doing its first Japan trip, this removes the single most expensive early cost: a credible base of operations. Full detail and how to apply are in our Step in Japan guide and on the Centre's Step in Japan page.
Market Access Workshops — Japan readiness, run in Europe
The Centre co-organises Market Access Workshops with local EU partners, Enterprise Europe Network members, clusters, chambers of commerce, and regional development agencies. They run 1-2 hours online or 3-4 hours on-site, and they are free to participants: the Centre covers the expert fee and travel. Content splits between sectoral market access (requirements, regulation, strategy) and Japanese business culture (meeting partners, protocol, decision-making). The Centre has run these regularly since 2015. If your region has an EEN partner, you can ask them to host one.
EU Business in Japan library — 500+ reports and webinars
The EUBIJ library is the deepest free repository of European-framed practitioner knowledge on Japan: market surveys by sector, cross-cutting guides (corporate tax, IP), and a large webinar archive, including the long-running About Japan series. Most sessions are recorded and browsable on demand.
EPA Helpdesk — using the trade agreement
The Centre's EPA Helpdesk answers questions on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, publishes factsheets and guides, and runs webinars on tariffs and rules of origin. For the commercial implications, see our EU-Japan EPA guide for marketers.
Enterprise Europe Network — the Japan node
The Centre is the Japan representative of the Enterprise Europe Network, the Commission-funded network of 600+ partner organisations that brokers international business cooperation, innovation, and technology transfer, free of charge.
EU-Japan Centre vs JETRO
A common question, and the honest answer is: they are complements, not substitutes.
| EU-Japan Centre | JETRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose body | EU (DG GROW) + METI | Japanese government |
| Best for | EU-perspective orientation, cultural readiness, EU-located workshops, Tokyo landing pad | In-Japan investment incentives, site selection, connecting to Japanese counterparts |
| Where it meets you | In Europe, then Tokyo | In Japan (with EU offices) |
| Typical sequence | Start here for readiness | Engage once you are committed in-country |
Most EU SMEs start with the EU-Japan Centre to get oriented and culturally prepared, then bring in JETRO for in-country investment support. Using both is normal.
How to start this week
- Search the EU Business in Japan library for your sector.
- Register for an upcoming About Japan webinar.
- If a Japan trip or setup is on the horizon, apply for Step in Japan.
- Ask your local Enterprise Europe Network partner whether they can co-host a Market Access Workshop.
Every one of these costs nothing to begin.
Where Silkdrive fits
The Centre's services are the right first stop, and we point clients to them constantly. Where we add a layer is the private, company-specific version: when an SME needs its own team trained on its own sector and stage rather than a public cohort session, we deliver that through Japanese business culture training and our Japan Market Entry Webinar. Think of it as the bespoke complement to the Centre's excellent public baseline. For the bilateral context behind all of this, see our Japan-Netherlands business corridor analysis.
Author: Patric Sawada, Founder, Silkdrive. Accredited EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation expert; delivered the Centre's Market Access Workshops to Polish and Czech (June 2025) and Swedish (September 2025) SME cohorts. Cross-cultural growth marketing for European SMEs entering Japan. Based in Amsterdam. Read Patric's full profile.
