The City of Yokohama Europe Representative Office
Welcome to the web page of the City of Yokohama Europe Representative Office!
My name is Takehiro Kuribayashi. I started my new position as Chief Representative of the Yokohama City Europe Office in April 2021. I have been employed at the Yokohama City Government since 2002 and was entrusted with promoting business attraction and multiculturalism. Last year, I was in charge of inter-city cooperation in the European region. I am looking forward to contributing my work experience to this office in the best possible way.
The Yokohama City Europe Office was established in 1997. For more than 20 years, the office has been supporting the business activities of Yokohama companies in the European region, attracting European companies to locate in Yokohama, and promoting exchanges between European cities and Yokohama.
This year 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the partnership agreement between Yokohama and Frankfurt, and the 160th anniversary of Japanese-German relations. In the Corona crisis, the social and economic outlook is still very uncertain, but we will strive to be a bridge and link between Europe and Yokohama from our location in Germany.
If you need any information or have any questions about the Europe region or Yokohama, please contact us at any time.
April 2021
Takehiro Kuribayashi,
Chief Representative of the
City of Yokohama Europe Office in Frankfurt
Our Mission
Encourage economic cooperation, be it on the administrative level or between companies.
Attract European investment and business interests to Yokohama.
Support Yokohama businesses to become more active in the European market.
Conduct information exchange between Yokohama and Europe.
On a day to day basis we:
- Provide detailed information on Yokohama and the Japanese market in general to interested European companies and administrations: market research, feasibility studies, Yokohama land and rent prices, office and production site locations, etc.
- Introduce European companies to potential business partners or distributors in Yokohama
- Coordinate business missions to Yokohama, tailored to specific interests and including tours of business facilities, project sites, and government offices
- Assist European companies who plan to invest in Yokohama in obtaining financial support from the Yokohama City Government
Latest News & Events
After a break due to the pandemic, the student exchange between Frankfurt and Yokohama continues
After the partnership between the Frankfurt comprehensive school Schule Am Ried and Sakuragaoka Municipal High School in Yokohama was established in 2017, the first visit by Schule am Ried to its...
Yokohama City and The Drivery, a German innovation support organisation specialising in the mobility sector, have signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding)
The City of Yokohama has set up the Mobility Innovation Hub YOKOHAMA concept, aiming to become a city that attracts mobility startups from Japan and abroad, and is promoting support for the...
43 Cities and Organizations Join Forces in Landmark Declaration, “Asian Cities Together Towards Zero Carbon”, led by Yokohama and Bangkok
On November 15, 2023, an important step towards reducing worldwide carbon emissions was made at the 12th Asia Smart City Conference as the joint declaration, “Yokohama Declaration: Asian Cities...
Yokohama introduces its initiatives for decarbonization and GREEN x EXPO 2027 at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain
The Smart City Expo World Congress, the world's largest international conference and exhibition on smart cities, was held in Barcelona, Spain, November 7-9. Approximately 25,000 visitors, over 800...
Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka visited France. Through top-level meetings with the sister city Lyon, Lyon-Metropole, the City of Paris, the OECD, and others, cooperation in a wide range of areas, especially in the decarbonization field, was confirmed
１ Discussions with the Mayor of the Sister City of Lyon and the President of the Lyon Metropole*1 Discussions were held on the decarbonization initiatives being promoted by the two municipalities,...
The Mayor of Yokohama, Takeharu Yamanaka visited Germany – Strengthened ties with affiliated cities and organizations through top-level sales efforts to attract European companies and top-level meetings
１ Top-level sales efforts to attract European companies We held a seminar to attract companies in Berlin, where one of the world's leading startup ecosystems has been formed. At the beginning of the...