Boosting trade priority for UK Government at Osaka Expo - and Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill /Seafood Scotland in Tokyo to champion Scottish produce
Boosting trade and investment between Scotland and Japan are top of the agenda as UK Government Minister Kirsty McNeill embarks on a three day visit to Osaka and Tokyo from today (Weds Aug 20th).
The Scotland Office Minister will meet with business leaders and politicians to promote Brand Scotland’s iconic goods and services and encourage Japanese inward investment as part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change to boost the economy and put more money in the pockets of working Scots.
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While at the Osaka Expo 2025, Minister McNeill will join the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Indo-Pacific Minister Catherine West in meeting leading Japanese life sciences firms for a discussion around opportunities in the UK market following publication of the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Scotland is one of the largest health and life science clusters in Europe, employing more than 41,000 people across 770 organisations and generating more than £10 billion annually for the Scottish economy.
More broadly the Expo - Japan’s biggest international event of the decade, with more than 150 countries taking part and 28 million visitors expected over its six-month span (running from mid-April to mid-October) - provides an opportunity for the UK to strengthen relationships with like-minded partners across fields from defence and security to sustainability and energy transition.
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Minister Kirsty McNeill said:
Minister Catherine West said:
At the Expo, both Ministers will also meet with Lord Mendoza, a member of the UK Soft Power Council’s Europe Committee, to discuss how Scotland’s soft power strengths can be fully utilised.
Then in Tokyo, Minister McNeill will attend the Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo where she will meet with Seafood Scotland which is taking a delegation of businesses to the show for a tenth year.
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Japan is among the UK’s top export locations for products like mackerel and is a growing market for a range of other British products. Scottish mackerel now accounts for around 20% of all imported mackerel into Japan, up from just 2% in 2019.
The Expo is an important opportunity to help the Scottish seafood sector as it begins to re-establish Scottish salmon in the Japanese market, after many recent years of Norwegian dominance.
Donna Fordyce, CEO, Seafood Scotland said:
Adam Wing, Head of Trade Marketing (UK, Middle East & Asia), Seafood Scotland said:
While in Tokyo Minister McNeill will also meet with Sumitomo Electric to discuss progress in the construction of its £350 million subsea cable factory at the port of Nigg in the Scottish Highlands. The factory - due to be completed in mid-2026 - will contribute significantly towards the UK’s capability to deliver renewable energy to UK consumers. The project is creating around.150 jobs.
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And she will meet Eurus Energy to hear about its offshore wind project currently under development in Scotland. The Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm will be located 7.5km off the coast of Dounreay in Caithness. The project’s operational lifespan will be up to 25 years, and it will generate enough green electricity to power up to 70,000 homes.
The Minister will also visit Venture Café, Tokyo, where she will announce the opening of a Venture Cafe in Edinburgh in November.
Venture Cafés are hubs which provide a space for entrepreneurs all over the world to come together and innovate.
Mike Jackson, Head of Venture Café UK, said:
And Minister McNeill will provide some remarks at a UK music trade mission reception at the British Residence in Tokyo to promote creative industries in the UK.
The Minister will also meet the current His Majesty’s Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, and New Zealand’s ambassador to Japan, Hamish Cooper, who is being posted as High Commissioner to the UK as his next appointment.
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Further Information
FCDO are co-funders of the UK presence at Osaka Expo, and teams in Japan have worked closely with the Department for Business and Trade project leads to design and deliver the UK Pavilion and programme. Led by UK Commissioner General Carolyn Davidson under a banner of “Come Build the Future”, visitors to the pavilion learn about the UK as a hub of science and innovation and a great place to live, work and study. Key political, business and cultural leaders also participate in a programme of private events.
At the Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo, Seafood Scotland - the national trade and marketing body - has coordinated a UK Pavilion in partnership with Seafish - a DEFRA arm’s length body that supports the UK seafood industry across the supply chain. Together they are showcasing premium seafood from across the UK to Japanese buyers. Seafood Scotland has been a key partner through the Brand Scotland initiative, having participated since its official launch in Singapore last year alongside the Scottish Secretary. Since then the organisation has actively supported Brand Scotland activity, including in the United States for Tartan Week. Scottish attendees at the Seafood Expo include: Denholm Seafoods, Hebridean Smokehouse, Lunar Freezing, Orkney Crab, PDK Shellfish, Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation and Xyrex.
The launch of Venture Café in the UK is part of the Advanced Research + Invention Agency’s (ARIA) Activation Partners initiative to drive science entrepreneurship.
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Pippy James, ARIA Chief Product Officer, said:
Trade statistics: In 2024 total goods exports from Scotland to Japan were worth £484 million. Scotland’s top export to Japan was beverages, including whisky, with sales worth £158 million - 32.5% of all goods exported.
Trade in services (2023):
Note that trade in goods and trade in services statistics are not comparable and cannot be summed together.
Japanese owned businesses in Scotland:
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