The British Embassy in Tokyo is carrying out a series of activities to clarify how Japanese contractors work with the aim to lower access barriers for UK companies to take part in Japan-led infrastructure projects in third countries(*).
These activities are a result of the British and Japanese governments agreement to prioritise cooperation on infrastructure projects in third countries.
Infrastructure cooperation was a key part of Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister May’s joint statement made in January 2019 in London which announced the establishment of a new government-to-government dialogue mechanism.
The British Embassy in Tokyo launched an intensive programme of activities to create business cooperation between the UK and Japan.
Japan has traditionally enjoyed a strong presence in South East Asia, and it is believed there is a great opportunity to develop strong UK-Japan partnerships in the region.
According to research by the British Embassy in Tokyo, the UK supply chain and the wider offer remains relatively low among Japanese stakeholders. The UK doesn’t seem to be as active as some other competitors, for example in relation to their sales approaches.
This is partly due to the UK companies’ unawareness of Japanese infrastructure activities and business procedures in overseas markets. The lack of awareness may cause UK companies to miss out on many commercial opportunities with Japanese partners.
As a counter measure, the Embassy is releasing the below video case studies of companies that have already established good relationships between the UK and Japan, such as Arup, JGC and Marubeni.
The videos feature:
- Arup is a UK company which worked in Japan for about 30 years.
- G.C a Japanese engineering company which has had sustained results worldwide.
- The Overseas Construction Association of Japan Oakajee a trade association of construction companies which is one of the key players of overseas infrastructure projects.
- Marubeni a trading company which covers a range of industrial fields.
- Japan overseas infrastructure investment corporation for transport and urban development join the first and only government private sponsored equity provider in Japan which specializes in overseas infrastructure investments.
If you would like to get in touch or if you have any questions, please email UK.JapanCollaboration@fco.gov.uk.
(*)Third country projects signify projects outside of the UK and Japan. Priority regions are South East Asia and Africa.
Watch the videos:
