Japanese Business Blog - Rudlin Consulting

Japan and Europe business update May 2026

Washin acquires UK company Foilco Japanese foil manufacturer Washin has acquired UK foil hot stamping company Foilco. Foilco employs 43 people in the UK. https://www.printweek.com/content/news/foilco-acquired-by-japanese-manufacturer UK’s Compass Group acquires Morinaga Shokken Morinaga Shokken is a medical and senior food services …

2026-05-20

Japan – EMEA business update April 2026

NYK on the acquisition trail Stolt-Nielsen has confirmed it will sell 50% of its stake in its LNG bunkering and small-scale specialist Avenir LNG to Japanese shipowner NYK. NYK has also expanded its dry bulk business by taking full control …

2026-04-08

Data and trust in Japan and Europe

I recently logged back into an online events platform which I had not used for a couple of years, in order to set up ticket sales for a seminar. A message popped up saying that in order to continue using …

2026-03-17

Japan – Europe, Middle East & Africa business update

The Japanese clutch and automotive transmission manufacturer Exedy is buying Protean Electric, the UK-based developer of in-wheel motors (IWMs) for electric vehicles, for around €30m. Exedy says the acquisition will help it to transform its portfolio to provide new …

2026-03-09

Japan in the UK – The Brexit Agreement 5 and 10 years on

It is five years ago today that David Henig, director of the UK Trade Policy Project at the think-tank European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and Pernille Rudlin, Managing Director of Rudlin Consulting, were the speakers for the Japan …

2026-02-04

Biggest European companies in Japan

Having looked at the largest foreign-owned companies in Japan in a previous post, we thought we’d take a look at the largest companies in Japan owned by European companies in more detail. By employee number, they are: Mitsubishi Fuso …

2025-08-13