Maritime Industry Roundtable
Tuesday, 27 October 2026 @ Royal Norwegian Embassy, Tokyo
The roundtable is being organized in connection with the visit to Japan by representatives from the Norwegian Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Fisheries for their bilateral consultations with the Maritime Bureau of Japans Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) under the Norway-Japan MoU from 2011 on cooperation in the field of environmentally friendly maritime technology and industry.
The session will bring together maritime industry and government representatives for a focused exchange.
We would be delighted if you could join this important dialogue and contribute your perspective on how to strengthen the maritime cooperation between Norway and Japan. Participants will be invited to share a brief perspective from their organization, followed by a moderated discussion under the Chatham House Rule, and we encourage you to prepare an introduction for up to 2 minutes on one or more of the following topics for starting the “round around the table” before the discussions:
A recent achievement or milestone in Japan
An important market opportunity for your company
A key challenge or barrier to growth for you in the market
Recommendations to Norwegian or Japanese authorities
Opportunities for future Japan-Norway cooperation
By participating the Norwegian maritime community can give valuable input in advance of the bilateral
consultations, by highlighting emerging opportunities in the market, barriers to growth, and give input on
what support you and important Japanese partners in the market need for developing even deeper
partnerships in business.
Practical information
Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Venue: Aurora Hall, Norwegian Embassy
Language: English
Participation: By invitation and advance registration only
Organizers and co-organizers: Norwegian Embassy, NCCJ, and TBC
Registration: Please register by October 20th via our signup page
Detailed roundtable program (changes may occur)
15:20-15:30 Welcome and Opening Remarks (MC: Michal Berg)
- Norwegian Ambassador
- Representative from the Maritime Section, Norwegian MoICF
15:30-16:00 Setting the scene: Norway and Japan Perspectives (10 min x2)
- Presentation by Maritime Bureau, MLIT – maritime ambitions and shipbuilding capacity strategy (TBC)
- Presentation by Norwegian Shipowners Association or DNV Japan (TBC)
16:00 – 16:30 Industry-Government Roundtable (Moderators: Michal Berg & TBC)
Each company takes maximum 2 minutes to address their achievements, milestones and partnerships in the market, which can include:
1. Achievement in Japan over the past 12 months
2. Most important opportunity for the company in the next 2-3 years
3. Biggest challenge or market access concern
4. One recommendation to governments
16:30-17:00 Moderated discussions based on topics from industry input (TBC)
- Norwegian companies
- Japanese and Norwegian Shipowners' associations representatives (TBC)
- MoICF representative (can decide if want to be active participant in discussion)
- MLIT representative (can decide if want to be active participant in discussion) (TBC)
17:00 – 17:10 Key takeaways and recommendation or reflections from participants
17:00 – 17:15 Relocate to Ambassador’s Residence for reception dinner.