LinkedIn segreteria@gruppogm.eu +39 06 83 77 36 64 +39 339 877 0967
Office · Tokyo

Europe and Japan:
regulation, sustainability and market access in both directions

From our office in Shibuya, Tokyo, we help Japanese companies comply with European regulation and do business in Italy, and Italian businesses enter the Japanese market by making the most of the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Sustainability and ESG, product compliance, legal and commercial matters.

Talk to the Japan desk Message us on WhatsApp Key EU–Japan regulations

Italiano · English · 日本語 — We work in Italian, English and Japanese

ROMA TOKYO 東京
The desk at a glance
2
connected offices
Rome · Tokyo
2
directions
Japan → Europe · Europe → Japan
44
regulations monitored
EU, Italy and Japan, with their deadlines
3
working languages
Italian · English · 日本語
Two directions

A bridge that works both ways

🇯🇵Japan → Europe🇪🇺

Japanese companies exporting to, investing in or with subsidiaries in Europe

Japanese groups active in Europe face a fast-changing regulatory framework: sustainability reporting, carbon at the border, packaging, batteries, supply-chain due diligence. We help you understand what applies to your companies and your products, and prepare in good time.

  • CSRD for European subsidiaries and, from 2028, for non-EU groups with more than €450 million of EU turnover
  • CBAM: embedded emissions of exported steel, aluminium and other materials
  • Packaging Regulation (PPWR), Batteries Regulation, ecodesign and the digital product passport
  • Supply-chain due diligence (CSDDD) and ESG requests from European customers
  • CE marking, ISO certifications and technical documentation
  • Companies, partners and distributors in Italy, public tenders and incentives
🇪🇺Europe → Japan🇯🇵

Italian businesses that want to sell, manufacture or invest in Japan

Japan is a demanding and loyal market, with its own standards and buying habits. Thanks to the EU–Japan agreement most tariffs have been eliminated: we support you from choosing partners to product compliance, right through to the ESG requests of Japanese customers.

  • Market analysis, positioning and market-entry strategy
  • Finding and vetting importers, distributors and partners
  • Rules of origin and preferential tariffs under the EU–Japan agreement (EPA)
  • JIS standards, PSE mark for electrical products, labelling and packaging
  • ESG data required by the SSBJ standards and by Japanese customers
  • Contracts, trademark protection, trade fairs and B2B meetings
What we do

The services of the Japan desk

Sustainability and ESG

ESG reports, carbon footprint, data for CSRD and the SSBJ standards, answers to questionnaires from European and Japanese customers.

Carbon, CBAM and GX

Embedded emissions under the EU methodology, coordination with European importers and comparison with the Japanese GX-ETS.

Product compliance

Packaging, batteries, ecodesign and CE marking for Europe; JIS standards, PSE and labelling for Japan.

EU–Japan agreement

Rules of origin, statement on origin and preferential tariffs to make the most of the Economic Partnership Agreement.

Legal and contractual advice

Distribution, agency and supply contracts, trademark protection and corporate form, with partner lawyers and accountants.

Commercial consulting

Market analysis, partner search and selection, support in negotiations, at trade fairs and with first sales.

Companies and investment in Italy

Company incorporation, registered office, tax and employment obligations, foreign investment screening in strategic sectors.

Tenders, certifications and incentives

Participation in public tenders in Italy, ISO and sector certifications, subsidised finance for investment.

The rules that matter

Key regulations between Europe and Japan

The European rules that weigh most heavily on Japanese groups, and the Japanese framework on trade, sustainability and carbon, each with its next deadline.

See all regulations →
In force EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement → Phased application CBAM — Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Next milestone: 1 Feb 2027 · Sale of CBAM certificates begins → Phased application CSRD — Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive Next milestone: 1 Jan 2027 · Financial year 2027: obligation for large companies within the new scope (first report in 2028) → Phased application PPWR — Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation Next milestone: 12 Feb 2028 · HORECA takeaway: obligation to offer customers a reusable alternative → Phased application Batteries Regulation Next milestone: 18 Feb 2027 · Battery passport for industrial, EV and LMT batteries; removable and replaceable portable batteries; QR code → Phased application ESPR — Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and Digital Product Passport Next milestone: 2027 · First delegated acts with requirements for textiles and steel (expected) → Postponed CSDDD — Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive Next milestone: 26 Jul 2028 · Transposition deadline for Member States → Forthcoming Japan: SSBJ sustainability standards for listed companies Next milestone: Mar 2027 · Expected obligation for Prime companies with a market capitalisation of at least ¥3 trillion (financial years ending March 2027) → Phased application Japan: GX-ETS and “Green Transformation” carbon pricing Next milestone: 2028 · Expected launch of the fossil fuel levy → In force Japan: Plastic Resource Circulation Act → In force FSR — Foreign Subsidies Regulation (foreign subsidies distorting the internal market) →
How we work

From first contact to compliance

  1. 01

    First meeting

    In Tokyo, in Rome or by video call, in Italian, English or Japanese. We get to know your products, markets and goals.

  2. 02

    Assessment

    We map the applicable rules, deadlines and missing data, with a prioritised plan.

  3. 03

    Action plan

    Documents, data, partners, contracts and timelines: a single path coordinated between Tokyo and Rome.

  4. 04

    Ongoing support

    We follow implementation and regulatory updates, with a dedicated contact in Japan and one in Italy.

Office

Tokyo 東京

Gruppo GM's office in Shibuya, in the heart of Tokyo, connected to our Rome headquarters for everything relating to Italy and the European Union.

東京 Tokyo · Office UTC+9 · We work in Italian, English and Japanese Locations →
Frequently asked questions

Working between Europe and Japan

It is Gruppo GM's operational office in Japan, in Shibuya. It supports Japanese companies operating or investing in Europe, helping them with European rules on sustainability, carbon, products and supply chains, as well as Italian businesses that want to enter the Japanese market. It works in coordination with our Rome headquarters.

In force since 1 February 2019, the agreement has eliminated most tariffs on European products, including many agri-food products and wine, protects geographical indications and reduces technical barriers. To obtain the preferential tariff, you must meet the rules of origin and prepare a statement on origin.

Yes, in two ways. European subsidiaries that exceed the Omnibus package thresholds (more than 1,000 employees and €450 million in turnover) report from financial year 2027; from 2028 the obligation also covers non-EU groups with more than €450 million of EU turnover. We help set up data and processes consistently with the Japanese SSBJ standards.

They are the sustainability standards of the Sustainability Standards Board of Japan, published in March 2025 and aligned with ISSB. They will become mandatory on a phased basis for large companies listed on the Prime Market, starting with financial years ending in March 2027. For European suppliers, this means receiving requests for emissions and supply-chain data from Japanese customers.

Yes: anyone exporting steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers or hydrogen to Europe must provide European importers with verified data on embedded emissions. Japan is introducing its own carbon pricing through the GX-ETS, mandatory for large emitters from 2026: we help coordinate the two monitoring systems.

We work in Italian, English and Japanese. It all starts with a free first meeting, in Tokyo, in Rome or by video call, where we define rules, deadlines and priorities. You can write to us by email or WhatsApp.

Japan Desk

Working with Japan or from Japan towards Europe?

Tell us about your products and markets: in a free first meeting we will tell you which rules apply, by when, and where to start.

Send us an email Message us on WhatsApp

Quick contacts

Emailsegreteria@gruppogm.eu Roma+39 06 83 77 36 64 Mobile+39 339 877 0967 WhatsApp+39 339 877 0967 Tokyo+81 343 605 000
Message us on WhatsApp