In the bustling metropolis of Osaka, among pavilions full of sustainable technology and groundbreaking ideas, the Northern Netherlands set foot ashore again this fall - exactly 425 years after the ship De Liefde arrived there as the first Dutch vessel. What began then as trade has grown into a lasting relationship in which knowledge, innovation and trust are pivotal.
Today, thousands of people in the Northern Netherlands work at one of the fifteen Japanese multinationals operating here. Cooperation is particularly strong in sectors such as agrifood, HTSM, chemistry and life sciences. And that is no coincidence: precisely in these fields lies the key to a smart, healthy and sustainable economy - an ambition that the Northern Netherlands shares with Japan.
During World Expo 2025 in Osaka, a delegation from NOM, together with representatives of North Netherlands companies and deputies Willemien Meeuwissen (Province of Drenthe) and Erik Jan Bennema (Province of Groningen), visited Japan. The aim: to further strengthen ties between the TopDutch region and its Japanese partners.
TopDutch Innovation Challenge
On September 24, NOM, under the banner of TopDutch, organized a networking and innovation day in the Dutch pavilion of the Expo. The central theme was the TopDutch Innovation Challenge, one of NOM's challenge-based innovation programs. The premise: to stimulate sustainable innovation by bringing Japanese companies with branches in the northern Netherlands together with northern Dutch entrepreneurs. The Japanese subsidiary has a vision for an innovation that will make their process more sustainable and enters into a partnership with an entrepreneur who has the knowledge to make it happen.
NOM fulfilled a connecting role: it helped formulate the challenges, guided the selection of suitable partners and deployed its international network to establish cooperation.
According to Fleur Mulder, strategist at NOM, this approach fits perfectly with the Northern Netherlands mentality. 'Our region is characterized by openness, equality and a strong culture of cooperation,' she says. 'Large and small companies work here as partners - that is the ideal breeding ground for joint innovation.' Fleur Mulder, strategist at NOM.
A pragmatic transition to hydrogen
The projects presented showed the breadth and effectiveness of this approach. One appealing example was the cooperation between UCC Benelux, part of the Japanese coffee brand UCC, DNV and Summit Engineering, both of which have offices in the North. Together, they converted one of the existing coffee roasters so that it can run on both natural gas and hydrogen. This hybrid technology makes it possible to switch to hydrogen step by step, making production processes not only greener, but also economically viable during the transition phase to renewable energy.
Circular conveyor belts
Another example came from Teijin Aramid, based in Delfzijl, Emmen and Arnhem and part of the Japanese concern Teijin. This company participated in the Chemport Sustainable Industry Challenge, in which New Born Rubber, a spin-off from the University of Groningen, developed a circular process to recover Teijin's aramid fibers from discarded conveyor belts. The technology makes it possible to bring valuable materials back into production and drastically reduce waste streams - an important step toward a fully circular industrial chain.
Project Manager New Born Rubber
Connection at a high level
In addition to these technological highlights, the meeting provided space for strengthening personal and business relationships. During a private Leaders Luncheon, NOM Director Dina Boonstra engaged in discussions with CEOs and senior executives from ten Japanese companies active in the Northern Netherlands. Representatives of the Dutch Ministry of Climate and Green Growth and the Consuls General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Osaka also joined in. The meeting provided space to discuss joint ambitions for sustainability, knowledge exchange and further cooperation in the North.
Learning from each other for more healthy years
Cooperation is not limited to business. The bond between Japan and the Northern Netherlands is also growing in the scientific field. The delegation visited the Medical Megabank of the Tohoku University (ToMMo) in Sendai, where they discussed cooperation with the Lifelines biobank from Roden and the UMCG.
Lifelines and ToMMo are among the only two large-scale, multigenerational cohort studies in the world that focus on the general population. Scientists from both universities exchange knowledge on genetics, lifestyle and ethical issues. Their shared mission: to understand how people can age more healthily.
But it is precisely the differences that make the cooperation so valuable. How do culture and lifestyle influence the health of the Dutch and Japanese? And what can we learn from each other to create more healthy years of life? That is the question that researchers from the UMCG and Tohoku are trying to answer together.
Old relations, new opportunities
An important part of the trip was visiting Japanese companies that have been active in the TopDutch region for years, including Menicon, Kikkoman, Teijin Limited and Kisuma Chemicals. These meetings were dominated by appreciation, trust and future-oriented cooperation.
'Strengthening ties with the headquarters of these companies is essential,' says Wubbo Everts, Internationalization Project Manager at NOM. 'This way we secure long-term investments, stimulate R&D cooperation and align regional opportunities with global strategies.'
According to Everts, the attraction of the Northern Netherlands is undiminished. 'Japanese companies choose our region because of its innovative strength in green energy, high-tech and agrofood, its convenient location and its well-educated talent.'
Therefore, the delegation also met with the Dutch ambassador to Japan, Mr. Gilles Beschoor Plug, to discuss opportunities for economic and scientific cooperation between the two countries.
Growth starts here - and there
The trip to Japan showed the depth of the roots of the cooperation between Japan and the Northern Netherlands. But more importantly, how much potential comes to the surface when people look at each other with an open mind and shared ambition.
With respect for tradition and an eye to the future, Japan and the Northern Netherlands are building sustainable growth together. Because growth - that starts here. And sometimes on the other side of the world.
