Ambassador Tadahiro Matsubara, who began his current mission in October 2022, has now been in the grand duchy for over a year, witnessing the changing seasons and numerous festivals the country has to offer. “I’ve found many similarities between Japan and Luxembourg, in terms of culture. A lot of traditional rituals and festivals are preserved in this country, [like] Schueberfouer and the [Echternach] hopping procession,” he says. “I cherish these kinds of events and festivals, which are well preserved in Japan as well.”
During an interview on Monday, he shared his impressions of the weekend’s international bazaar at LuxExpo, where the Japanese community was one of around 60 to host a stand. He was pleased that Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa stopped by the stand on Saturday: “She said she loves Japanese food.”
A former senior managing executive officer of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Matsubara has around 40 years’ in the private sector. He’ll be hosting a reception on Tuesday evening at his residence in honour of a business delegation visiting this week.
The delegation’s visit includes a roundtable and networking event, hosted by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in close collaboration with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), focused on Japanese SMEs, startups and a corporate venture capital company. The are from sectors ranging from finance to industry and space.
Promising sectors: finance, space, pharma
The ambassador says that finance, space and pharmaceuticals are sectors in which “Japanese companies established in Luxembourg are very active and successful in their business. We have 41 Japanese companies operating their business in Luxembourg, and almost half of those belong to the finance sector… Next year, we’ll mark the 50th anniversary of the first Japanese banks opening their offices in the country.”
Green finance has been another bilateral prospect too: earlier this month, Sapporo mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto chaired another Japanese delegation and was keen to learn more about investments in the grand duchy as inspiration for Hokkaido’s own green transition.
Another key development has been the plans of JCR Pharmaceuticals to set up in the Wolser economic zone between Dudelange and Bettembourg. The company--which specialises in the research, manufacturing and sales of pharmaceuticals for those with rare genetic diseases--, part of its “responsibility to secure reliable distribution for people in need,” according to the ambassador. “The sophisticated logistics facilities at Findel airport are required to handle those kinds of sensitive products, and Luxembourg has good access to European countries. Luxembourg is the perfect fit for their needs.” He anticipates the site starting operation next year, adding that support from the health and economy ministries allowed for smooth developments.
Tadahiro Matsubara, Japan’s ambassador to the grand duchy, seen during an interview with Delano, 27 November 2023. Photo: Guy Wolff/Maison Moderne
Matsubara also praises Luxembourg’s support in the space domain. Japanese startup Thermalytica, for example--whose technology focuses on enhanced insulation performance adapted for both terrestrial and space applications--was among the winners of the 14th edition of Fit4Start.
And, despite its failed moon landing with its Hakuto-R mission in spring 2023, Japanese startup Ispace, which opened its Luxembourg office in 2017, unveiled on 16 November the design of its Mission 2 micro rover. Ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said at the time he was “proud of all the employees who have made this possible, who, in the short time since completing Mission 1 nearly six months ago, have incorporated the necessary improvements to advance this mission on schedule.”
The ambassador is looking forward to it too: “If they succeed in their second mission, the moon rover strolling on the face of the moon, it will be the most fascinating event we can see next year.”
An eye on Osaka
This September the Luxembourg’s cabinet agreed to allocate €30m to the economic interest group Luxembourg@Expo2025Osaka which will see to the planning and logistics of the grand duchy’s pavilion, designed by Steinmetzdemeyer with a theme of “Doki Doki – The Luxembourg Heartbeat”.
Luxembourg is continuing to “take the lead in construction of the pavilion as a front runner,” the ambassador notes. “I think this is a great combination of Japanese technology with Luxembourg’s innovative spirit for circular economy.”
An agreement has also been signed with the Luxembourg Hotel and Tourism School (EHTL), whose students were on-site at the last expo in Dubai to cook dishes showcasing Luxembourg gastronomy, with a twist. “Upon [EHTL’s] request, we are trying to connect them with Japanese cooking schools to make a collaboration with them, and they want to have some lectures about Japanese culture, especially for the Japanese style of hospitality.” An exciting prospect, given Osaka’s reputation as one of Japan’s street food capitals.