Message from Ambassadors

Invest in Switzerland
Jean-François Paroz
Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan
H.E. Mr. Jean-François Paroz, born in Moutier in the Canton of Bern, started
his mission in Japan in September 2016. Since entering the diplomatic
service, he has taken various important posts, among others as Head of theUnited Nations Coordination Unit in Bern and as Ambassador of Switzerland
to Senegal and to five other African countries. Before taking the present post,
he was the Ambassador of Switzerland to Hungary.

Japan and Switzerland: Basic Figures
While Japan and Switzerland are both advanced andhighly developed countries, they differ remarkably insize: Japan’s territory is nine times larger than Switzerland,
which is about the size of Kyushu. Also, the Japanese
population is fifteen times bigger than the Swiss one.
However, regarding economic indicators, while Japan’s
GDP is six times higher than Switzerland’s, the GDP per
capita is twice as high in Switzerland compared to Japan.
With an average of about USD 80,000, Switzerland’s
GDP capita is the second largest in the world.

Confederation and patron for the Swiss side, came toJapan.
Since 1864, economic exchanges between the twocountries have steadily grown stronger, intensified bytheir bilateral cooperation in the field of politics as well asin science and technology. Switzerland and Japan share along history of developing together, based on acomplimentary and cooperative relationship. Today,
Switzerland is the sixth largest foreign investor in Japan,
a position it holds since 2013.

International Switzerland
In 2014, Japan and Switzerland celebrated the 150th
anniversary of diplomatic relations. The Treaty of Amityand Commerce between Japan and Switzerland was
signed on 6 February in 1864. During the anniversary
year, Crown Prince Naruhito, the patron for the Japaneseside of the anniversary, visited Switzerland, while Federal
Councelor Didier Burkhalter, then President of the Swiss

Switzerland, located in the heart of Europe, is politicallyindependent from but economically highly integrated into
the European Union. Companies based in Switzerland –including Japanese ones – can freely export to the EU andbenefit from a consumer market of 500 million people.
As free trade is under pressure globallyand Japan strives to realize a Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU,
Switzerland is the first – and still is theonly – European country to conclude aFTA with Japan. The Japan andSwitzerland Free Trade and Economic
Partnership Agreement entered intoforce in 2009 and has produced goodresults for both countries.

Switzerland’s presence in Japan isstrengthened by several highly active
and well-connected Swiss stakeholders.
2017年3月、ネスレ姫路工場を訪問（中央がパロ大使） The Swiss Chamber of Commerce and18

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Industry in Japan, founded in 1981, supports Swisscompanies in Japan as well as Japanese companies
interested in conducting business in Switzerland, andorganizes various and frequent events to facilitate theestablishment of new business contacts. The Japan-Swiss
Economic Council, founded in 2014, consists mainly ofJapanese companies active in Switzerland and promotes
economic and cultural relations between the twocountries. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum,
where Japan traditionally is present with a strong
delegation, operates a secretariat in Japan.

Switzerland as an Attractive Business
Location
Switzerland regularly occupies the top spots ininternational rankings. In 2016, it topped the Global
Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forumfor the eighth consecutive year, and it also took the firstplace in the Global Innovation Index for the sixth year ina row.
As a small country with scant natural resources,continuous innovation and a highly trained workforce are
essential for Switzerland. Education and research are
therefore key topics in Swiss politics. Besides theexcellently educated workforce and its high capacity forinnovation, Switzerland is also an attractive location forforeign companies thanks to its business-friendly climate
as well as a first-class infrastructure and a high quality ofliving. Also, Switzerland features a dense network of Free
Trade Agreements, with 30 already established and more
under negotiation.
Traditionally, Switzerland is very competitive in industries
such as financial services, precision engineering andpharmaceuticals. However, foreign companies operationsin Switzerland cover a widely diversified range, including
global/regional headquarters and R&D.
「在日スイス大使館Japanese Companies in Switzerland
Among the over 10,000 foreign companies with presence
in Switzerland, about 200 are from Japan, currently
employing more than 9,000 people. Japan Tobacco,
Nissan, and Sunstar are good examples of companies
with international headquarters in Switzerland, andseveral impressive investments have also been made by
Japanese companies in the past few years:• Santen Pharmaceuticals established their European
headquarters in Geneva in 2014. In their global strategy,
it was an important step for them to open this subsidiaryin Switzerland as Santen aims to strengthen its presencein Europe. Santen covers approx. 50 countries inEurope, Middle East and Africa from the Geneva
Headquarters.
• Idemitsu Kosan registered their new R&D center inBasel in the beginning of 2017. Idemitsu had originallyoperated a joint research with a German company todevelop OLED materials in Switzerland, and decided
to open their own R&D facility.
Japanese companies have also been active regarding
M&A deals. Panasonic Healthcare acquired Diabetes
Care business from Bayer AG, and started operating it asa stand-alone company in Basel in 2016. Tanaka
Kikinzoku acquired the Swiss company Metalor
Technologies in Neuchatel in order to develop theirbusiness opportunities within Europe. Tanaka and Metalor
both enjoy a strong reputation in their respective market,
and this acquisition is beneficial for Tanaka Kikinzoku as
it allows them to extend their operations more globally.
The Japan-Swiss economic relations are mutually
beneficiary and an important pillar of the excellent
bilateral relations between the two countries.
スイス外国企業誘致局」のご紹介

在日スイス大使館 スイス外国企業誘致局では、スイスへの進出を検討する日本企業や、既にスイスに拠点をもつ日本企業に対して、総合的できめ細かいサポートを提供しています。セミナーなどのイベントをはじめ、ニュースレターやウェブサ
イト（https://www.s-ge.com/ja/suisuhenotouzi）などでスイスの投資環境について最新情報を提供しています。
在日スイス大使館 スイス外国企業誘致局
TEL: 0120-844-313 Email: inquiry.jp@s-ge.com

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