Japanese delegation in the Basque Country interested in technology

The Basque Government welcomed on Tuesday a trade and political delegation from the Niigata prefecture (Japan) interested in fostering a business project in this country using the technology developed by a group of companies (including Maser Mic, Ingeinnova and Forging Products), that are the main members of the Hiriko Consortium.

The agreement consists in the transfer of the technology developed by these companies in order to design and build a new electric vehicle in Japan, designed in the Basque Country, where the user will be able to choose the outside appearance of the car.

The Japanese investors are negotiating an investment of 12 million euros to purchase and develop this technology which they will use to build new vehicles in Japan. It is the first time that Basque companies have sold this type of technology to Japan, one of the main vehicle manufacturers worldwide.

Watanabe San, the Niigata Minister for Industry, Tanaka San, the Chairman of the Niigata Venture Capital Fund, and Kinoshita San, the CEO of FLS, the company that is going to manufacture the electric cars in Japan, attended the meeting. The Basque Government delegation included the Minister for Economic Development, Arantza Tapia, the Deputy Minister for Industry and Energy, Juan Ignacio Motiloa, the Secretary for External Action, Marian Elorza, and the General Secretary of the Premier's Office, Jesús Peña.

The Basque Government expressed their willingness to back and consolidate trade relations with Japan, a country where there is a demand for high technology.