• The North Rhine-Westphalian location marketing campaign “We
love the new…” is launched in Japan
• 500 Japanese businesses are located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Tokyo, September 8 2009 – North Rhine-Westphalia bids for Japanese
investors. At a press conference, Dr. Jens Baganz, North Rhine-
Westphalia's State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Energy, introduced
the location marketing campaign “We love the new...” in an attempt to
generate Japanese interest in North Rhine-Westphalia as a business
location. He was accompanied by representatives from such notable
companies as RWE and Evonik, which support the campaign as sponsors
and patrons.
Innovative power and cosmopolitanism are the focus of the campaign,
which has worked to position Germany's most economically sound and
most populous federal state as Europe's leading economic region since it
was launched in October of 2008. Japan is one of the campaign's target
countries. “Japan and North Rhine-Westphalia have a long-standing
tradition that is not only reflected in our economic relationships, but also
in cultural collaboration. An extensive Japanese infrastructure has been
established in North Rhine-Westphalia. We would like to continue to
strengthen this network of trade and investments”, State Secretary Dr.
Jens Baganz stated at the press conference in Tokyo.
North Rhine-Westphalia is not only Germany's economic center, it is also
the leading energy location in Germany and the most important energy
region in Europe. In addition to a dense network of research institutes, a
variety of businesses are headquartered in North Rhine-Westphalia that
offer innovative energy products and services, and therefore contribute to
improved energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy.
“It is precisely in fields such as renewable energy that we can offer
cooperation opportunities with Japanese companies and research
institutes”, Baganz explained.
One of the region's main focal points is electromobility. With its Rhine-
Ruhr area and competence centers in Münster and Aachen, North Rhine-
Westphalia has become a model region for electromobility. The federal
state aims to broaden research and development in this sector and
become the first large-scale model region in Europe.
As part of a competition held by the German Federal Government to
encourage electromobility, North Rhine-Westphalia, together with the
Rhine-Ruhr Metropolis and the competence centers in Aachen and
Münster, has been declared a model region for electromobility. The target
for the region is to have at least 250,000 electric automobiles in use by
2020. North Rhine Westphalia’s masterplan for electromobility is to be
presented soon.
More than 9,600 Japanese people live in North Rhine-Westphalia. With
500 Japanese companies, North Rhine-Westphalia is the most preferred
European investment location for Japanese businesses. Many wellknown
companies have already invested in this area, including the
automaker Toyota, the cosmetic company Shiseido, the flavor and scent
producer Takasago, the carbon fiber manufacturer Teijin-Toho Tenax, the
electronics company NEC, the logistics company NYK and the food and
drink brand Yakult. And with investments amounting to a billion euros in
2007, companies from North Rhine-Westphalia have likewise begun to
invest in Japan. Many North Rhine-Westphalia-based companies have
already established branches there, including internationally renowned
corporations like Bayer, Evonik, Lanxess, Henkel, ThyssenKrupp, Metro
and Zwilling.
For the launch of its campaign “We love the new...” in Japan, North
Rhine-Westphalia showcased a Japanese version of its website and an
image film in addition to placing advertisements in key Japanese media.
Some of these print ads feature the seven-time Formula One world
champion Michael Schumacher in an attempt to attract Japanese
investors to North Rhine-Westphalia.
To learn more about North Rhine-Westphalia's location marketing
campaign, visit: www.welovethenew.com
About NRW Japan K.K.
NRW Japan K.K. is a wholly owned subsidiary of NRW.INVEST GmbH based in Tokyo. It provides Japanese businesses with information about North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location, the investment climate and the legal and social conditions in Germany as well as about the cities, regions, economic sectors and market chances in North Rhine-Westphalia. It identifies Japanese companies that are potentially interested in
settling in North Rhine-Westphalia and offers consulting services regarding the steps necessary to get them there.
To this end, NRW Japan K.K. organizes visits to Japanese companies, and seminars and informational events about North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location and about certain industries or service sectors.
Contact
NRW Japan K.K.
Economic Development Corporation
of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Georg K. Löer, Representative Director & President
New Otani Garden Court 7F
4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-0094, Japan
Tel.: +81 3 5210-2300
Fax: +81 3 5210-2800
Email: contact@nrw.co.jp
Internet: www.nrw.co.jp
Media contact
CNC Japan
Yosuke Takanashi
Tel.: +81 3 5156 0185, Fax: +81 3 5156-0188
E-Mail: yosuke.takanashi@cnc-communications.com