Webinar: Opportunities for Japanese businesses in Greater Manchester
JETRO and Invest Manchester are delighted to invite the business community to a webinar exploring the opportunities in Greater Manchester for Japanese businesses on Wednesday 25 November 2026.
Attendees will hear from Invest Manchester, who will share an overview of Manchester’s economy, key sectors, market opportunities and links with Japan. Hitachi Rail, who has a presence in Greater Manchester will then present a case study of their experience of working in Greater Manchester.
***Please note this webinar will be conducted entirely in Japanese***
Greater Manchester is the UK’s fastest-growing city-region economy, with a £100 billion (¥21,066,400,000,000) economy and is home to over 3 million people. The city region has sector strengths in advanced manufacturing and materials, digital and AI, life sciences, low carbon technologies, financial services and the creative industries. Greater Manchester offers businesses access to a highly skilled talent pool, five universities, world-class R&D assets, strong transport connectivity and a large consumer market.
Greater Manchester is home to around 30 Japanese businesses, including Hitachi, Brother, Astemo, Shimadzu and Mizkan. In 2025, Greater Manchester and Osaka signed a sister city agreement.
Key details:
Date: Wednesday 25 November 2026
Time: 08.30-09.15 GMT / 17.30-18.15 JST
Language: Japanese
Platform: Zoom (please sign up at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LH9RF-EiT_KoaPd6E3AO0Q)
Agenda:
- 08:30 GMT / 17:30 JST – Opening remarks – Hideo Yura(Mr), Director General of JETRO London
- 08:35 GMT / 17:35 JST – Introduction to Greater Manchester: economic overview and opportunities for Japanese businesses – Takemasa Nakata, Japan Office Representative, Invest Manchester
- 08:50 GMT / 17:50 JST – Case study of a Japanese business in Greater Manchester: Hitachi Rail – Koji Agatsuma, Executive Director, Vehicles CTO, Hitachi Rail
- 09:00 GMT / 18:00 JST – Audience A&A – All
- 09:10 GMT / 18:10 JST – Closing remarks – Takemasa Nakata, Japan Office Representative, Invest Manchester
- 09:15 GMT / 18:15 JST – End of webinar