Belgium is open for business: FPS Chancellery highlights Belgium's biomedical expertise in Japan

From 25 to 29 August 2025, the Belgian Federal Public Service Chancellery of the Prime Minister will receive a delegation of Japanese journalists in the context of country branding campaign ‘Belgium. Open for Business’. The purpose of the visit is to discover the ‘Belgium Health and Biotech Valley’. Some of Japan's largest media outlets, including Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei Business and NHK, will be taking part.

Japan is an important business partner for Belgium. Among the EU Member States, Belgium is the fifth-largest exporter to the country, especially of chemical and pharmaceutical products. The Health and Biotech Valley, a successful collaboration between government, business and academia, is the ideal international showcase for Belgium's biomedical expertise. This innovative ecosystem of more than 600 companies accounts for 5.7 billion euros in investments and provides 43,000 direct jobs.

As well as providing a comprehensive introduction to Belgian culture, gastronomy and history, the programme will include a panel discussion on healthcare technologies, a presentation from a number of MedTech start-ups and a series of visits in Belgium's three regions:

• Vaccinopolis in Antwerp is a research centre affiliated to the University of Antwerp, specialising in clinical trials for vaccines. It has a quarantine unit that is unique in Europe and in which controlled infection testing can be carried out. It has been recognised as a collaborating centre of the World Health Organization
   
• Axiles Bionics in Brussels arose out of the Brubotics research centre at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The company designs bionic ankle and foot prostheses, incorporating robotics, artificial intelligence and human biomechanics
   
• Ion Beam Applications (IBA) in Louvain-la-Neuve is a world leader in particle accelerator technologies and develops innovative solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and for industrial applications such as the sterilisation of medical devices

On 14 September 2025, the second part of the programme will take place at the Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan, where Belgian artists Mentissa and Helena will draw attention to Belgium with their singing talents during Belgian Day. Biomedical expertise from Belgium has been on display there since April at the Belgian pavilion and has attracted a very great deal of interest, with more than 500,000 visitors so far.