Ninth Japan-Russia Meeting Concerning SME Cooperation Held

December 16, 2021

On December 14 (Tue.), 2021, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation held the Ninth Japan-Russia Meeting Concerning SME Cooperation via video conference. Following this, additional networking events for SMEs, etc. are being held on December 15 (Wed,), 16 (Thu.), and 17 (Fri.), with 39 companies from Japan and Russia participating. METI will continue to promote networking between Japan and Russia in the SME field through these kinds of events.

Public-private joint dialogue

Headed by Mr. Nii Yasuhito, Deputy Commissioner, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (SMEA), Japan, and Ms. Inna Dadayan, Director, Department of Investment Policy and SME Development, Ministry of Economic Development, the Russian Federation, the Japanese and Russian governments’ representatives shared information on their policies for supporting SMEs toward recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese government shared information regarding its most recent COVID-19 countermeasures, business restructuring, trade fairness, future SME policy directions, etc. The Russian government did so regarding its support disbursements, financial support measures, etc.

Together with this, representatives from municipalities and support organizations in the two countries explained their own efforts toward supporting SMEs and interregional economic networking between Japan and Russia. (The Japanese representatives were from Tottori and Niigata Prefectures, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN. The Russian ones were from Sverdlovsk and Ivanovo Oblasts, the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Japan, and the JSC Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation (RSMB Corporation).)

In addition, research institutes (the Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia (ERINA) and Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Russia (MGIMO University)) from Japan and Russia respectively, held a forum for Japanese and Russian SMEs to exchange views on bilateral trade and investment success stories, improving the business environment, etc. The participants concluded by reaffirming that the COVID-19 pandemic made support for SMEs all the more important, and expressed their hopes for further impetus and expansion in the dealings between SMEs in the two countries.

Networking events for SMEs, etc.

As side events to the meeting, over December 15 (Wed.), 16 (Thu.), and 17 (Fri.), JETRO and the RSMB Corporation are jointly holding online networking events for Japanese and Russian SMEs, etc. (25 Japanese ones and 14 Russian ones), including 30 lively business talks.

Reference: Outline of the Japan-Russia Meeting Concerning SME Cooperation

Under the Memorandum of Cooperation on Small and Medium Enterprises signed between METI and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia in December 2013, eight Japan-Russia Meetings Concerning SME Cooperation have already been held in order to share information on SME support measures and facilitate cooperation toward boosting SMEs. The first was held in Tokyo in March 2014, the second in Ulyanovsk, Russia, in December 2014, the third in Tokyo in June 2015, the fourth in Khabarovsk, Russia, in August 2016, the fifth in Tokyo in October 2017, the sixth in Khabarovsk, Russia, in December 2018, and the seventh in Sapporo on December 4, 2019. The eighth was held via video conference on December 16, 2020.