Belgian Economic Mission in Nagoya – Spearheading the Maritime Energy Transition

From December 5 to 9, Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, representing His Majesty the King, is leading the Belgian economic mission to Japan. On 7 December, several visits to businesses and with public officials are scheduled in Nagoya in order to explore investment and economic opportunities to strengthen the partnerships between Belgium and Japan.

Princess Astrid will be accompanied by a ministerial delegation with Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and Federal Cultural Institutions, Hadja Lahbib, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Jan Jambon, and Brussels State Secretary responsible for Urbanism and Heritage, European and International Relations and Foreign Trade, Pascal Smet.

Aim of the visit of the Belgian economic mission to Nagoya is to emphasise the Belgo-Japanese partnership in the field of the clean energy transition in the automotive and maritime sector.

Princess Astrid and the official delegation will start with a visit over lunch to Suzuka International Racing Course, famous for Formula 1. Suzuka has a longstanding friendship agreement with Spa Francorchamps in Belgium. The visit will put emphasis on the role of race circuits in innovating the ecosystem of the a automotive industry, crucial to realising the climate ambitions towards carbon neutrality in 2050.

In the afternoon, Princess Astrid and the official delegation will visit the Port of Nagoya to celebrate the sustainable partnership between the Port of Nagoya, the largest car exporting port in the world, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the largest car importing port in the world. The delegation will be welcomed by Yuji Kamata, Executive Vice President of the Nagoya Port Authority, in the presence of the CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Jacques Vandermeiren and witness the signing ceremony of the renewal of the MOU between the Port of Nagoya and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges on the occasion of the merger of the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge.

Following the signing ceremony, Princess Astrid and the delegation will participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Hydrobingo, the world’s first hydrogen powered ferry. The Hydrobingo was realised through a joint venture of Tsuneishi (Japan) and CMB from Belgium. Alexander Saverys, the CEO of CMB will participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Princess Astrid and the delegation will meet the Governor of Aichi Prefecture, H.E. Hideaki Omura to highlight the importance of the cooperation agreement that the three Regions of Belgium have with Aichi Prefecture.

The full programme and all useful information on the Belgian economic mission to Japan are available on the following website: https://www.belgianeconomicmission.be

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