On 15 May, Minister-president Geert Bourgeois and Governor Hideaki Ohmura signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Friendship and Mutual Cooperation between Flanders and the Prefecture of Aichi, Japan.
The ties between Flanders and Aichi are not new. The ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp work closely with Nagoya, the capital of Aichi and Japan's largest port. And the Japanese automotive sector, highly concentrated in Aichi, has major logistics operations in Flanders with Toyota, Honda and Mazda.
During the state visit to Japan in October 2016, the shipment of the 10 millionth Japanese car to Flanders was the perfect occasion to celebrate these strong ties. Minister-president Bourgeois and Governor Ohmura then decided to sign a friendship memorandum.
Minister-President Bourgeois: "Flanders is an important logistic hub for the Japanese automotive industry. We are proud to have these good economic relations and the appreciation of our Aichi friends makes us very happy. Therefore we are very pleased by the visit of Governor Ohmura and wish to deepen the friendship between Aichi and Flanders. "
