What makes the Netherlands such an attractive place for Japanese companies to do business?
The Netherlands has traditionally had an open economy and we want to make it easy for companies to do international business in, or via, the Netherlands. We have three main advantages: Our openness, our strong competitive potential and the fact that we welcome business investment. That’s what makes the Netherlands – a small country with a population of just 16 million – one of the world’s top 20 economies. And in the Global Competitiveness rankings of the World Economic Forum, the Netherlands and Japan are listed among the top 10 most competitive countries in the world. Besides that, the Netherlands also has good services and facilities as well as a thriving culture. Expats often tell me how much they enjoy living and working in the Netherlands. Our report will be published around Queen’s Day 2009. What message would you like to give the readers of The Japan Times? In 1600, the Dutch ship De Liefde (Love) landed on the coast of Kyushu. Nine years later, the Dutch received permission to
