The business and investment environment in Japan and Slovenia, opportunities for cooperation, and examples of best practice in smart cities, mobility and robotics topped the agenda of the Slovenian-Japanese Business Forum, organised on Wednesday by Spirit Slovenia and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

Rok Capl, the director of Spirit Slovenia, the country's trade and investment promotion agency, said the concept of society 5.0 had been conceived in Japan and was now one of the guidelines of society's development.

Slovenia has included it in a resolution on research and innovation until 2030 and prepared measures to implement it in areas such as public administration, education, healthcare, the business environment and digital diplomacy.

Capl noted Slovenia had a long tradition of combining experience with innovation, creative thinking and care for the environment. It is already among the top 30 most innovative countries in the world and cooperation with Japan can raise the level of innovation even further.

In Slovenia's latest programme for the promotion of investments Japan is designated as a market of opportunities for Slovenian exporters and as a priority market for foreign direct investment, he said, adding that many investors from Japan had already taken advantage of the business opportunities.

Japanese Ambassador to Slovenia Hiromichi Matsushima emphasised the good diplomatic relations and said economic cooperation had been rapidly accelerating in recent years.

Many Japanese companies have invested in Slovenia and by 2020 Japanese FDI had exceeded EUR 300 million, he said, while adding there was still plenty of scope for cooperation, especially in hi-tech.

Naritaka Nakaisha of the European branch of JETRO added that Japanese companies were willing to work with Slovenian partners and JETRO was willing to help in these efforts.

Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh meanwhile outlined Slovenia's plans concerning digitalisation, highlighting artificial intelligence, e-administration and the digitalisation of business as some of the priorities.

She said Slovenia was ready for the challenges of the digital age, including society 5.0 and smart cities.

The forum featured nearly 100 participants some of whom shared their experiences about digitalisation, including representatives of the Japanese-owned robot manufacturer Yaskawa and Toyota Adria, and local officials.