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
Yokohama’s International Bureau’s Director and others visited Constanta to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the sister city affiliation. Together they met their common sister city Odesa
From November 11 to 13, the Director of the International Bureau of Yokohama City visited Constanța, Romania, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the sister city affiliation. They met with Mayor...
As winter approaches, Yokohama organizes emergency donation of winter clothing and warmers to Odesa, Ukraine
With temperatures dropping and a difficult winter impending, Odesa, Ukraine faces a dire need for cold-weather protective clothing and gear. On November 4th, Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov put out a...
Ukraine’s water supply disruptions alleviated with water purifiers from Yokohama
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the City of Yokohama, Japan has been in close contact with its sister city of Odesa, having held multiple online meetings between their respective mayors, and has...
Introducing Yokohama’s Local Production for Local Consumption Initiative for Sustainable Urban Agriculture at the Japan-France Local Government Conference
From October 3 to 6, the 7th Japan-France Municipal Exchange Conference was held in Aix-en-Provence in southern France, and the European Office’s chief representative participated on behalf of...
Event for European mobility start-ups to co-create innovation with Yokohama
The Asia Berlin Summit 2022 is an annual week-long event on start-ups and ecosystems in Berlin. As its official satellite event, the Drivery Go to Japan "Yokohama" Program was held on 15 September...
Yokohama’s initiatives to realize a decarbonized society were presented at the German-Japanese Environment and Energy Dialogue Forum
On September 6 and 7, the German-Japanese Energy and Environment Forum in Berlin, organized by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate...