# EU-Japan Centre: 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.

- **Source:** https://www.silkdrive.com/insights/eu-japan-centre-guide
- **Author:** Patric Sawada
- **Published:** 2026-06-01
- **Category:** Cross-Cultural Marketing
- **Topics:** eu-japan centre, eu-japan centre for industrial cooperation, eu business in japan, eubusinessinjapan, japan market entry, eu sme japan, step in japan, market access workshop japan

## Summary

- 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 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](https://www.eu-japan.eu/) 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 EU-Japan Centre expert who has delivered the Centre's [Market Access Workshops](/insights/market-access-workshops-japan) 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

![An advisor walking two European SME owners through EU-Japan Centre support services](/images/insights/eu-japan-centre-guide-inline.webp)

### Step in Japan: your Tokyo landing pad

[Step in Japan](/insights/step-in-japan-eu-smes) 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](/insights/step-in-japan-eu-smes) and on the [Centre's Step in Japan page](https://www.eu-japan.eu/logistical-support-step-japan).

### Market Access Workshops: Japan readiness, run in Europe

The Centre co-organises [Market Access Workshops](/insights/market-access-workshops-japan) 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](https://www.eu-japan.eu/eubusinessinjapan) 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](/insights/eu-japan-centre-webinars), 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](/insights/eu-japan-epa-marketers-guide).

### 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. 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.

## The wider EU-Japan support network

The EU-Japan Centre and JETRO are the two institutions most SMEs start with, but a few other industry bodies are worth knowing as you build relationships and credibility in the market:

- **[JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization)](https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/)** is the Japanese government's trade and investment promotion agency: in-Japan investment incentives, site selection, sector data, and introductions to Japanese counterparts once you are committed in-country.
- **[The Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE)](https://www.jbce.org/en/)** is the Brussels-based voice of around 115 Japanese multinationals operating in Europe, focused on EU regulation and policy. It is a useful read on how established Japanese firms see the European market you share with them.
- **[The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Netherlands (JCC)](https://www.jcc-holland.nl/en/)**, founded in 1976, represents Japanese enterprises in the Netherlands and is a natural node for Dutch-Japanese business relationships and introductions.
- **[EU Business Hub Japan](https://japan.eubusinesshub.eu/)** is an EU-funded programme that runs business missions and networking to strengthen EU companies' presence in Japan, with a focus on the green and digital sectors. A sister programme, [EU Business Hub Korea](https://korea.eubusinesshub.eu/), runs the equivalent trade missions into the Korean market.

None of these replaces the cultural-readiness work that decides whether your meetings convert; they are the institutional scaffolding around it.

## How to start this week

1. Search the [EU Business in Japan library](https://www.eu-japan.eu/eubusinessinjapan) for your sector.
2. Register for an upcoming [About Japan webinar](/insights/eu-japan-centre-webinars).
3. If a Japan trip or setup is on the horizon, apply for [Step in Japan](/insights/step-in-japan-eu-smes).
4. Ask your local Enterprise Europe Network partner whether they can co-host a [Market Access Workshop](/insights/market-access-workshops-japan).

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](/training/japan-business-culture) and our [Japan Market Entry Webinar](/training/japan-market-entry). 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](/insights/japan-netherlands-business-corridor).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation?

It is a joint venture between the European Commission (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG GROW) and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), established on 15 May 1987. It promotes industrial, trade, and investment cooperation between the EU and Japan, with a strong focus on helping European SMEs enter and grow in the Japanese market. It operates from offices in Brussels and Tokyo.
### Is the EU-Japan Centre free to use?

Most of its services are free of charge because the Centre is funded by the European Commission and METI. Step in Japan (the Tokyo hot desk), Market Access Workshops, the EPA Helpdesk, the Enterprise Europe Network services, and the EU Business in Japan report and webinar library are all provided at no cost to eligible EU SMEs. Some flagship training programmes and missions have selection processes rather than fees.
### What is the difference between the EU-Japan Centre and EU Business in Japan?

EU Business in Japan (EUBIJ) is the Centre's information platform, the website and library where its 500+ reports and webinars on Japanese market sectors, regulation, tax, IP, and business culture live. The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is the institution that runs it and delivers the wider programmes (Step in Japan, Market Access Workshops, missions, helpdesks). In practice you will move between eu-japan.eu and eubusinessinjapan.eu; they are the same organisation.
### Who is eligible for EU-Japan Centre support?

Most SME programmes are open to SMEs based in the EU or in a Single Market Programme associated country that are planning to enter or expand in Japan. Step in Japan, for example, is for EU-based SMEs and requires only an application, not a fee. Eligibility specifics vary by programme and are stated on each programme page at eu-japan.eu.
### EU-Japan Centre or JETRO, which should an EU company use?

Use both, for different things. The EU-Japan Centre is the EU-side institution: it frames Japan from a European company's perspective, runs EU-located workshops with local partners, and offers the Tokyo landing pad. JETRO is the Japanese government's trade and investment promotion organisation, strong on in-Japan investment incentives, site selection, and connecting you to Japanese counterparts once you are committed. EU companies typically start with the EU-Japan Centre for orientation and cultural readiness, then engage JETRO for in-country investment support.
### Does the EU-Japan Centre help with the EU-Japan EPA?

Yes. The Centre runs an EPA Helpdesk that answers queries on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, publishes factsheets and practical guides, and organises webinars on using the agreement, including tariff treatment and rules of origin. For marketers and commercial teams, see Silkdrive's EU-Japan EPA guide for how the agreement changes go-to-market economics.
### How do I start using the EU-Japan Centre?

Browse the EU Business in Japan library for your sector, register for an About Japan webinar, and if you are planning a Japan trip or setup, apply for Step in Japan. If your region has an Enterprise Europe Network partner, chamber, or cluster, ask them whether they can co-host a Market Access Workshop. All entry points are on eu-japan.eu and cost nothing to begin.