UNIDO ITPO Tokyo organized a business mission to Turkey from 13th to 21st October with Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East (JCCME) and Izmir Development Agency (IZKA) to introduce the business environment in Turkey.

This mission was planned as a follow up of continued promotion by the Izmir Development Agency in Japan since 2013. 10 Japanese companies participated in the mission, including some companies based in Istanbul. During the mission, the delegation visited Istanbul, Izmir and Manisa participating in two B2B events and visiting individual organizations and companies to learn about the business environment in the three cities.

The mission was supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Aegean Free Zone (ESBAŞ), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

As a result, around 110 B2B meetings were held (36 in Istanbul, around 75 in Izmir) and the delegation received information on business environment in Turkey from 17 organizations and companies. Among them were some Japanese companies that are already operating in Turkey, who gave positive comments about the business environment.

With a population of 80 million, Turkey is a huge potential market for Japanese companies. The number of Japanese companies in Turkey is 200, which still leaves room for Japanese companies to explore the country’s potential, but the number is expected to rise in the coming years. Currently, the EPA agreement is being negotiated between Turkey and Japan, which is expected to boost the business cooperation between the two counties.