Tokyo, March 13, 2026 – On the occasion of the official visit of the Swiss State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Ms. Helene Budliger Artieda, the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan together with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (SCCIJ), hosted an exclusive lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo. The event gathered almost 80 leaders and representatives of the Swiss-Japanese business community, offering a platform for dialogue on economic cooperation, innovation, and future opportunities between the two countries.
In his welcome address, Ambassador Roger Dubach highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral ties between Switzerland and Japan in a rapidly evolving global environment. He emphasized the long-standing friendship between the two countries and the role of the Swiss business community in Japan in supporting this partnership.
In her keynote remarks, State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda underlined the strong alignment between Switzerland and Japan on key principles such as the rule of law, open markets, and multilateral cooperation. She noted that the current global environment – marked by geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and technological competition – requires trusted partners to work more closely together. Switzerland and Japan, both innovation-driven economies with limited natural resources, share a natural complementarity: intellectual property, advanced technologies, and high-value manufacturing are central assets for both nations.
She highlighted several strategic areas where collaboration can be deepened, including economic security, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, life sciences, and digital trade. Reflecting on recent developments in global supply chains and technology policy, she emphasized the importance for Switzerland of diversifying partnerships and strengthening cooperation with trusted countries such as Japan. Ms Budliger Artieda described the bilateral relationship as a “successful marriage”, suggesting that in a changing world both partners should renew their commitment and inject new momentum into their cooperation.
In this spirit, she also referred to the recently signed Switzerland-Japan Roadmap on Innovation, Economy, Industry and Trade, which aims to deepen collaboration in fields such as digital trade, economic security, and technological innovation – building new momentum even without a formal modernization of the 2009 Free Trade Agreement.
The State Secretary’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Michael Mroczek, President of the SCCIJ, featuring Nikolaus Boltze, President of the European Business Council in Japan; Natsue Ishida, Vice President Executive Officer at SEGA SAMMY Holdings Inc.; and Marcel Pernici, President of System Parts Asia at Feintool Japan Co., Ltd.
The panel explored practical perspectives on doing business in Japan, highlighting the country’s reputation as a reliable and high-quality sourcing market, particularly in precision manufacturing and advanced technologies. While entering the Japanese market can present challenges – including language barriers, administrative complexity, and talent dynamics – companies that invest in long-term relationships, local presence, and trust-building can achieve strong and sustainable growth.
Discussions also touched on Japan’s potential as a regional base for East Asia operations, the importance of aligning headquarters and local teams when scaling in Japan, and the value of closer cooperation between government and industry to support innovation partnerships and regulatory clarity.
The event reflected the continued vitality of the Swiss-Japanese economic partnership and the strong interest from business leaders in further strengthening collaboration between the two countries in a changing global landscape.
