The Japan-Spain Business Circle (CEJE) held an institutional meeting in Barcelona on Tuesday, March 31, with the Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Miquel Sàmper, and the Secretary of Business and Labor, Jaume Baró.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the CEJE Board of Directors, headed by its president, Jorge Lasheras, and comprising Yoshihiro Matsuoka, treasurer of the organization; Elisabeth Cañigueral, president of Costa Brava Mediterranean Foods; Albert Garrofé, partner at Cuatrecasas; and Marc Guimerà, partner at NTT DATA.
The president of CEJE made an institutional presentation in which he outlined the activity of the association, highlighting the main initiatives developed throughout 2025, as well as the strategic lines and areas of action planned for 2026.
The meeting served as a space for dialogue to share proposals, identify possible avenues of collaboration and strengthen the dialogue between CEJE and the Ministry of Enterprise and Labor. In this context, the willingness of both parties to continue promoting joint initiatives aimed at strengthening economic and business relations between Catalonia and Japan, in areas such as investment, innovation, internationalization and business development, was highlighted.
They have also addressed various opportunities to increase bilateral trade, encourage greater establishment of Japanese companies in Catalonia, promote new Japanese investment in the territory and, in parallel, promote the presence and investment of Catalan companies in Japan. To this end, various lines of collaboration have been analyzed in which CEJE can actively contribute, providing its network of contacts, knowledge of the Japanese business ecosystem and institutional dialogue capacity to support business projects and strategic actions.
In particular, both parties agreed on the importance of continuing to generate spaces for connection between companies and institutions of both countries, facilitating the development of joint projects and promoting a bidirectional flow of investment and economic activity between Japan and Catalonia.
CEJE values very positively this institutional meeting, which reinforces its role as a meeting platform between Japan and Spain and opens new opportunities for collaboration with the Ministry of Enterprise and Labor, with the aim of continuing to promote economic growth and business cooperation between the two countries.
