Japan Bolstered Its Mexico Trade Activities During 2023

“Connecting with the world. Together, we move forward.” This phrase guides JETRO’s work; it is the core of our activities in every country JETRO is located in. 

In 2023, JETRO Mexico promoted business relations in many ways, including the attraction of foreign investment to Japan, holding promotional events for Japanese food and beverages, business matchmaking, participation in fairs, and strengthening the connection with Mexico’s private sector. 

First, JETRO’s Invest Japan program encourages the establishment of foreign companies that offer technology that helps improve the quality of life of society in Japan, focusing on the attraction of companies involved in AI, life sciences, the environment and clean energy, and manufacturing. For instance, under our program, a Mexican company dedicated to developing assistive and rehabilitation technologies for people was legally incorporated in Japan in December 2022. At the beginning of 2023, this company started operations in Osaka. We look forward to helping more Mexican companies interested in investing in the improvement of quality of life in Japan. If you are one of these, please talk to JETRO first. 

Second, the promotion of Japanese products, especially agriproducts, is among the main objectives of our activities in Mexico. Wagyu beef, Japanese fish like hamachi, and recently Japanese rice, are some examples. In January and February, we invited some Mexican buyers from recognized restaurants, mainly located in Mexico City and Monterrey, to taste wagyu beef in Mexican and Japanese dishes, pairing these with Mexican wine and Japanese alcoholic beverages like sake, shochu and gin. Due to the opening of the Mexican market to the importation of rice from Japan on May 16, 2023, at  the end of that month, we held a workshop on the matter, in collaboration with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Before that, all the rice used in the preparation of Japanese dishes in Mexico was usually brought from the United States. Japan has more than 300 varieties of rice, with the most popular being koshihikari, which is used  to provide a better flavor for nigiri and maki; thanks to the interest of buyers in Mexico, this variety can now be found in some Asian stores and several restaurants are elaborating Japanese dishes with it.  

Alongside Japanese enterprises and private organizations, we took part in the XIII meeting of the Committee for the Improvement of Business Environment (CIBE), organized in June at the Ministry of Economy of Mexico, where we assessed relevant topics pertinent to an enabling environment for the optimal performance of Japanese business in Mexico, including infrastructure, public security, fiscal and customs issues, food and agriculture, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. 

Sake and seafood from the Tohoku region and Ibaraki prefecture delighted Mexican buyers and the public, with ezo abalone, mackerel, mozuku, seaweed, ikamentaiko and other products that were the stars of an event held in July in Mexico City. Tohoku was the region most affected by the earthquake of 2011, when many fishing and sake companies had to interrupt their production due to the devastation. Fortunately, companies are now recovering and ready to resume their exports. 

As a result of JETRO’s events held during the year, more than 100 business meetings took place, in person and virtually, to promote food, beverages, and other Japanese products in Mexico. 

JETRO Mexico also bolstered its relationship with the Mexican private sector through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August with the Employers Confederation of the Mexican Republic (COPARMEX). Its main objective is to promote and strengthen business activities between Japan and Mexico in order to enhance a better understanding of the Mexican business environment. 

Moreover, in August we participated in ABASTUR, Mexico’s top fair specialized in the hotels, restaurants and café (HORECA) sector, in which JETRO promoted Japanese rice and its e-commerce platform, Japan Street, where buyers can find more than 46,000 Japanese products of different categories coming from the whole country. If you are interested in this platform, do not hesitate in contacting JETRO Mexico’s staff.

Last but not least, the innovation sector is key for JETRO’s work. Last October, at the Industrial Transformation Mexico (ITM) fair, held in Leon, Guanajuato, the Japanese Pavilion set up by JETRO presented five Japanese companies, most of them established in Mexico, dedicated to automation solutions for the manufacturing industry. Takao Nakahata, director general of JETRO Mexico, participated with two presentations: the first related to industrial opportunities between Japan and Mexico, and the second in the semiconductors and electromobility forum.  

2023 was a very active year for Japanese businesses in Mexico, and without a doubt, in 2024, JETRO Mexico will continue working to expand business and the creation of new alliances that improve the connection, not only between Japan and Mexico, but with the whole world, so that we can move forward together.