News item | 07-05-2025 | 10:00 AM
Minister Beljaarts of Economic Affairs visits Singapore and Japan from Monday 19 May to Thursday 22 May. The visit to Singapore coincides with Semicon Southeast Asia, an international stock market focused on the semiconductor industry. The minister is present in Japan during the Dutch National Day at World Expo 2025 in Osaka. He leads an economic mission of more than 80 companies focused on high -tech and digitization. The minister also meets Japanese companies based in the Netherlands. The visit to Japan is also dominated by 425 years of bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Japan.
Singapore
Singapore has developed as an important junction between East and West, also in the semiconductor sector. The country invests in technological domains such as integrated photonics, quantum technology and artificial intelligence. The Netherlands is present with more than 50 organizations and a joint pavilion on the Semicon Southeast Asia. During the visit to Singapore, meetings with companies and knowledge institutions are central, as well as consultation with Singaporean minister Grace Fu about policy cooperation and the launch of a bilateral working group semiconductors.
The aim of the visit is to strengthen the economic and technological relationship between the Netherlands and Singapore and to stimulate new forms of cooperation. Singapore is the largest trading partner in the Netherlands in Asia after China. More than 2,000 Dutch companies are active in Singapore and in 2023 the Netherlands was the second largest foreign investor in Singapore worldwide. This underlines the strong economic position of the Netherlands and shows that there are significant opportunities for Dutch companies in Singapore and via Singapore in the wider region of Southeast Asia. In the run-up to the 60th anniversary of relations between Singapore in December 2025, the visit also contributes to the further development of the cooperation.
Japan
With his Majesty De Koning and Minister Klever for Foreign Trade and Development Aid, Minister Beljaarts visits the Dutch National Day during the 2025 Osaka Kansai exhibition. The Expo is the 36th World Exhibition and has the theme ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’.
The Minister also opens the HTDX conference (high-tech and digitization) with a speech about the joint deployment of the Netherlands and Japan on technological innovation and economic resilience. In a private round table, he and the King, with CEOs of Dutch and Japanese high -tech companies, speaks about cooperation on strategic themes such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. He also conducts various conversations about the future of the semiconductor industry and the role of public-private partnerships.
The Netherlands and Japan are important partners in the high -tech sector. In 2023, Dutch exports to Japan were more than € 4.5 billion, the export of high -tech goods, such as production equipment for semiconductors, forms an important part of this. 800 Japanese companies are located in the Netherlands, the most part of which is active in the HTSM sector (High Tech systems and materials). In this sector, companies and knowledge institutions work together on smart technologies and innovative products. Think of advanced machines, sensors, chips, robots, and materials that are used in health care, space travel, car industry or energy supply. During the program, several cooperation agreements are signed in areas such as semiconductor and quantum technology, computing and 5G/6G telecommunications, in the presence of the minister and the Japanese government.