The plan is to organise conferences for businesses from both countries as part of the visit, Markovec told the meeting which focused on boosting commerce between Slovenia and Japan.

Japan and Slovenia are cooperating well, but there is still plenty of scope for upgrading bilateral ties, said the director of the GZS's centre for international relations, Aleš Cantarutti.

Japanese Ambassador to Slovenia Toshimitsu Ishigure said that trade has been growing in the past decade but it remains modest (topping EUR 81m last year), as have Japan's foreign investments in Slovenia.

He said fields of interest for Japanese companies in Slovenia included energy, environmental technologies, robotics, IT, biochemistry, automotive and wood processing industries.

Companies need to get to know each other first, according to Ishigure. "But once cooperation starts, it is the beginning of good and long-term cooperation."

The event featured a presentation of the Japan External Trade Organisation, which covers Slovenia from its office in Vienna.