Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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291. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans for a trade mission to Japan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27987/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Enterprise Ireland operates an intensive programme of international and domestic trade events with 200 such engagements planned for 2018. While there are no Trade Missions to Japan currently planned, an intensive programme of Ministerial visits and Trade Missions was carried out to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Japan. This programme concluded in March 2018, however the focus on growing Enterprise Ireland client exports to Japan continues.

High level visits by the Department of Education, SFI and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are planned for Q4 2018 including an event with Keidanren (Japan’s largest business association) addressing matters impacting Trade and Investment with Ireland. Enterprise Ireland is continuing with an intensive programme of inward buyer visits, fintech and life sciences initiatives, and Food FDI research in market.

Enterprise Ireland is the state agency under my aegis with responsibility for helping Irish companies to internationalise and scale. Enterprise Ireland’s Trade Missions and Events promote the capabilities of client companies to potential business partners and customers in international markets; a central element of the agency’s strategy for 2017 -2020: Build Scale, Expand Reach. In 2017 Enterprise Ireland ran 57 Ministerial-led international trade events, including a trade mission to Japan.

My predecessor, Ms. Frances Fitzgerald T.D., led a joint Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland trade and investment mission to Japan in September 2017. The trade mission, which also included a visit to Singapore, took place over 5 days and involved 60 Enterprise Ireland client companies. A Ministerial address to Keidanren presented an opportunity to engage with Japanese businesses and to sell the benefits of investing in Ireland.

On the 12th of March, Enterprise Ireland announced that it is set to undertake over 200 international and domestic trade events in 2018 to accelerate the number of Enterprise Ireland clients diversifying into new markets, beyond the UK and into the Eurozone and global markets. The number of trade events being undertaken represents a 50% increase on 2017, reflecting the challenge that Brexit poses for Irish businesses. 70 of these export focused trade events will be led by Government Ministers.

A key objective of the most recent Trade Mission to Japan was to promote the potential of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), particularly from a ‘new opportunities for Irish companies’ perspective. It is expected that the Economic Partnership Agreement will be signed in July. The Agreement will open opportunities for Irish exporters across a range of sectors through tariff reductions and the removal of other barriers to trade.

Japan currently has high tariffs on agricultural products which will be significantly reduced on a phased basis. The EPA will also remove non-tariff barriers to trade in agricultural products bringing Japan’s regulations more in line with other countries. These measures will provide opportunities for Irish exporters in the agri-food sector in particular for producers of cheese, beef, pork and processed agricultural products.

In addition to improved market access for goods, the EPA will present opportunities for the services sector. Irish exports of services to Japan were valued at €4.8bn in 2016, an increase of 48% on the previous year. The removal of barriers to trade in services through the EPA should support further growth in this area.

In addition to promotion of the Economic Partnership Agreement, other objectives of the trade mission to Japan included supporting participating Irish companies to further their relationships with new and existing customers, deepening relationships with existing IDA clients to secure further investments for Ireland, and positioning Ireland as a post-Brexit solution for Asian companies.

As part of the ‘Global Ireland 2025’ plan, which aims to take Ireland’s global engagement to the next level by doubling our global footprint, the Government is committing significant resources to a new state-of-the-art Ireland House in Tokyo which will bring together a new embassy as well as state agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Bord Bia under one roof.