STA, 12 April 2022 - Yaskawa Europe Robotics, one of Yaskawa's three companies in Slovenia, has developed its own robot after it has been manufacturing only robots developed in Japan. The GP20 is suited for the metal-processing industry and the Kočevje-based company would like to sell it in the US.

The robot has the advantage of an increased working space given its size, a high degree of rigidity and a high degree of precision, the company told the STA.

Its slender upper arm makes it suitable for the metal-processing industry, especially for CNC machines and lathes with narrow inlets.

The company is developing some other projects, including robots specialised for the food industry. Last year it developed subsets for Cartesian robots for a French company.

The Japanese multinational Yaskawa, a global industrial robots leader, started building the Kočevje facility in 2017 and launched production in 2019.

At the time it planned to employ 200 workers by 2023, while it now employs only around 120.

Yaskawa has three companies in Slovenia: apart from Yaskawa Europe Robotics in Kočevje, it has had Yaskawa Ristro and Yaskawa Slovenija in Ribnica for more than 30 years.

The coronavirus epidemic has slashed Yaskawa Europe Robotics' revenue in 2020, but both production and sales picked up in 2021 for the company to end the year with EUR 36 million in revenue.

The Kočevje-based company manufactures more than 330 robots and more than 180 controllers a month.

Learn more about the robot

STA, 24 March 2022 - A row of 68 Japanese cherry trees have been planted along a 690-metre stretch of the Ledava river in Lendava, north-eastern Slovenia, as a symbol of friendship and peace, and to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Slovenia and Japan.

The ceremony on Thursday featured Takashi Aoki, counsellor at the Japanese Embassy in Ljubljana, Mayor of Lendava Janez Magyar and Matjaž Vnuk, the chairman of Lendava-based manufacturer of high-tech welding gear Daihen Varstroj, which is in Japanese ownership.

Aoki said the cherry trees, a symbol of Japan, were planted in several Slovenian cities that have some sort of connection to Japan. In Lendava, it is Daihen Varstroj.

Vnuk described the cherry tree planting as an upgrade of good cooperation with the municipality. He hopes Lendava has a cherry festival when the trees bloom.

According to Mayor Magyar, this is yet another step in the municipality's efforts to make it a green-future community.

The project cost EUR 22,000, of which Daihen Varstroj contributed EUR 7,000.

STA, 30 April 2021 - Foreign Minister Anže Logar received his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday with the pair calling for enhancing cooperation between Slovenia and Japan both in business and politics, as Slovenia sees potential in high-tech. The pair also exchanged views on the Western Balkans and the Indo-Pacific region. 

Logar said Japan was one of the most important trade partners and investors in the programme for encouraging investment and internationalisation of the Slovenian economy in the next four years.

Slovenia sees potential particularly in high-tech, artificial intelligence, automotive and pharmaceutical industries, infrastructure and health.

The Japanese minister too called for more cooperation in business and other fields, including in cyber security.

Logar pointed out that both countries devoted a lot of attention to cooperation in cyber security, which will also be one of priorities of Slovenia's presidency to the EU Council in the second half of the year.

Sproščeno z ?? MZZ @moteging o prioritetah #SI2021EU, sodelovanju EU - Japonska, dogajanju v Indo - Pacifiku ter ... poletnih olimpijskih igrah v Tokiu. #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/9Q4zwhsR6p

— Anže Logar (@AnzeLog) April 30, 2021

The ministers also discussed cooperation as regards to the Western Balkans. In the light of support to EU accession of the Western Balkans, Japan wishes to cooperate with Slovenia, which knows the situation in the region well, Motegi said.

Japan would also like to cooperate with Slovenia as the EU presiding country regarding the Indo-Pacific region, he said. He welcomed the EU's strategy on cooperation in that region, which was presented earlier this month.

According to Logar, the ministers agreed that Slovenia and Japan shared values regarding cooperation, that they both strive for international order based on law, for tramp trade, open and fair environment, trade and boosting of resilience.

These are the values and principles that are essential for the port of Koper, Logar pointed out.

He also expressed support to Japan organising the Olympic and para-Olympic games, to be hosted by Tokyo this summer. Motegi thanked him for that and asserted that all efforts were being invested in making the events safe.

Motegi also met President Borut Pahor today and will also hold talks with Prime Minister Janez Janša. He will continue his tour of Central European and East European countries in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

All our stories on Slovenia and Japan

STA, 5 March 2021 - Spa operator Terme Čatež confirmed on Friday that it had sold Marina Portorož but would not disclose the buyer. It also said the contract contained suspensive conditions. Newspapers Delo and Primorske Novice reported of the sale earlier today, saying the buyer came from Japan.

Delo reported the buyers were Japanese investments funds and the price was below EUR 15 million, while Primorske reported of a Japanese multinational buying the country's biggest marina for EUR 16 million.

Meanwhile, the business newspaper Finance says on its website, quoting unofficial information, that the buyer is Slovenian company JoanthanMars or one of its subsidiaries that manages alternative investment funds.

JonathanMars is owned by the company UR Invest, whose owner is Uroš Raspet, a co-owner and a senior official at the Vzajemci group, says the paper.

"The transaction is not yet closed as certain suspensive conditions must be met first. When the suspensive conditions from the contract are met and the transfer of ownership shares completed, the company will make a public announcement," Terme Čatež said on the web site of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange today.

The sale had been announced weeks ago by the head of Terme Čatež and its owner the publisher DZS, Bojan Petan, who said the move was coordinated with the York fund, the DZS's main creditor, according to Primorske.

Terme Čatež reportedly made the deal a few days ago with a Japanese multinational at the price of some EUR 16 million, while other information about the deal is not known, Primorske says, adding that it is possible that the contract again contained suspensive conditions.

A number of unfulfilled suspensive conditions was allegedly what caused the sale of the marina to Adventura Holding to fall through last year, says the paper.

According to Delo, one suspensive condition allegedly refers to a plot for which Marina Portorož has a concession contract. The plots intended for a planned coastal spa complex were reportedly not part of the sales agreement.

Terme Čatež, which is part of the DZS group, has been selling Marina Portorož for a while. A fresh sales procedure started last August and bids were accepted until the second half of September, while Primorske says the selection procedure concluded recently.

A while ago the marina was to be sold to Adventura Holding and the company Glen, but the deal went sour over disagreements on the price.

The company MMNT, which Adventura Holding and Glen founded for the takeover, was to pay EUR 21.6 million for the marina, according to reports from the business newspaper Finance in August last year.

Peter Polič from the P&P group from Lucija near Piran offered EUR 40 million for Marina Portorož and the land intended for the coastal spa complex, tennis courts and bungalows in its final offer almost three years ago. He told Primorske the company had not been bidding this time.

He said that after signing the non-disclosure agreement, the company had been informed that talks were already under way with two other buyers.

The Piran municipality told Primorske that it had been informed that the sale process was in the final phase. The municipality said it hoped the new owner would develop the marina activity well.

The sale of Marina Portorož was a part of the DZS's agreement with creditors on financial restructuring. The main creditor is the York fund, which had purchased the claims for the Gorenjska Banka bank and the bad bank.

STA, 7 February - The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that there are six Slovenians aboard a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan because of the new coronavirus. They all feel well.

 Andrej Šter, the head of the Foreign Ministry's consular service, said the Slovenians aboard the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined in Yokohama for two weeks, were three couples.

They have been in contact with the Slovenian Embassy in Tokyo since the day the quarantine was declared after a passenger who had been on the ship last month fell ill with the virus.

"They are fine and are not among those who tested positive. They are being looked after by Japanese health authorities, while our ministry, in particular colleagues at the Tokyo embassy, are keeping in touch with them," Šter told reporters in Ljubljana on Friday.

At least 61 of some 3,700 people on board have tested positive for the new coronavirus, including citizens of Japan, US, Canada, Australia, Argentina and the UK. So far 273 of the people on board have been tested.

Šter said that having been on the ship where the virus was detected the Slovenian passengers would have been quarantined for two weeks in any case even on land.

He could not say whether they might be subject to further restrictive measures or difficulties heading home once the quarantine was over end.

However, he promised for the ministry to try to organise their return home in a way so as to not expose them to any further danger or threaten their health in any way.

Šter also called for responsible reporting on the spread of coronavirus, saying that any exaggeration, either "embellishing the situation and covering the facts" or "creating a problem where there is none", was causing further problems.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 4 February 2020 - A business delegation led by state secretary at the Economic Development and Technology Ministry Aleš Cantarutti is visiting Japan this week. They kicked off their trip with visits to Yaskawa Electric, Kansai Paint and Daihen on Monday.

All three companies have already invested in Slovenia. Japanese investments have grown more than tenfold since 2013, reaching EUR 339.5 million in 2018, central bank data shows.

Slovenia classified Japan as a strategic priority market in its business internationalisation action plan in 2015, the Economy Ministry noted in a press release on Tuesday.

At Yaskawa Electric, which has a robotics plant in Kočevje, Cantarutti talked about business sentiment in Slovenia, adding that the country wished Yaskawa would continue investing in Kočevje.

Cantarutti also met Kunishi Mori, president of Kansai Paint, the owner of coatings maker Helios Domžale, the press release said. Cantarutti and Mori shared the view that Helios was an example of best practices in terms of launching new centres focusing on innovation and R&D.

The state secretary also invited Mori to the Bled Strategic Forum, the key foreign policy event in Slovenia, taking place in Bled every September.

At Daihen, the investor in the Lendava-based Varstroj Daihen, the company presented their beginnings to the delegation and showed it around the floor shop.

Cantarutti invited representatives of Yaskawa Electric, Kansai Paint and Daihen to visit the Slovenian House during the Olympics in Tokyo this summer.

The newspaper Delo said today that Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek had planned to lead the delegation. The head of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) changed his plans after Prime Minister Marjan Šarec resigned last week.

All our stories on Japan and Slovenia are here

Tokyo is not a place where one would expect to find a professional oom-pah band, and even less so one which would sing in Slovenian. The East Asian love for themed events and cultural learning, however, has ensured that this aspect of cultural heritage is also represented in Japan.

Among a variety of interesting things one can experience in Japan there is the Oktoberfest in Fukuoka and other places, with German beer, dirndl dresses and lederhosen (SLO: irharce) and of course with Edelweisskapelle and their impeccable interpretations of German, Austrian and Slovenian oom-pah and oom-pah-pah.

Edelweisskapelle, which consists of professional musicians, also performs in Europe. Their last tour on this side of the world was in 2017, which unfortunately didn’t include Slovenia.

In 2015 Fukuoka and Edelweisskapelle also hosted a German accordionist Alexander Koll and Slovenian diatonic accordion manufacturer Jernej Brilej. This is what they played together:

We certainly hope to see Edelweisskapelle in Slovenia someday. Planica would be nice, or perhaps the New Year celebrations in Ljubljana?

STA, 23 October 2019 - Slovenian President Borut Pahor met Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Wednesday, with Pahor thanking the Japanese prime minister for the opportunity to hold a bilateral meeting in the days when the Japanese capital is hosting numerous world leaders who attended Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony yesterday.

"Slovenia understands this as a recognition and gesture of special attention from Japan," the president's office quoted Pahor, adding that the meeting with Abe had been held in the spirit of excellent bilateral relations.

Prisrčno in koristno dvostransko srečanje predsednika Pahorja in japonskega premierja Abeja in obeh delegacij v Tokiu: https://t.co/kPgCGyLDW6 pic.twitter.com/PY8GQmjTmq

— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) October 23, 2019

Abe meanwhile thanked Pahor on his attendance of the enthronement ceremony in Tokyo, with Pahor noting that he attended such events only exceptionally, according to his office.

It noted that bilateral economic cooperation had been boosted following the Slovenian president's visit to Japan in 2013 and the visit by Miro Cerar in 2016 in the capacity of prime minister in 2016.

Pahor stressed on the occasion that "what is more important than merely capital is business culture, and the Japanese business culture is close to Slovenians."

Abe meanwhile assessed that Slovenia was interesting to Japan, being a member of the EU and NATO and having excellent relations with all countries of the Western Balkans.

Pahor and Abe also talked about the situation on the Korean Peninsula, agreeing that effort should be invested to find a peaceful solution and achieve reconciliation.

The Slovenian president showed understanding for Japan's concern about the unpredictability of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the office added.

The Japanese prime minister said he would like to visit Slovenia, with Pahor saying he would gladly welcome him in his country.

On the last day of this two-day visit to Japan, Pahor also visited the High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation (KEK) in Tsukuba near Tokyo, where Slovenian scientists have been involved in an antimatter project.

Pahor met KEK director-general Masanori Yamauchi and Slovenian scientists and viewed the electron-positron supercollider. On the occasion, Pahor decorated professor Yamauchi with the Order of Merit for his contribution in promotion of Slovenian science in the world.

All our stories about Japan are here

STA, 15 October - Yusen Logistics, a Japanese supply chain logistics company, opened on Friday its subsidiary in the coastal town of Koper, thus becoming the first Japanese freight forwarder in Slovenia. The launch is an important step for the port operator Luka Koper as well since it promotes the transport route via Koper.

 The first Japanese logistics subsidiary in Slovenia will also help popularise Slovenia's sole maritime port among Japanese logistics providers, who still prefer the ports in northern Europe.

Yusen Logistics, employing more than 24,000 workers and managing a global network of subsidiaries, has been so far providing services for Slovenia from their Budapest division, said Luka Koper.

The opening was attended by Luka Koper CEO Dimitrij Zadel as well as Takeshi Kondo, chief regional officer of Europe region at Yusen Logistics, and Japanese Ambassador to Slovenia Masaharu Yoshida.

Japan is one of Luka Koper's priority target markets overseas, particularly in terms of containers and vehicles, said the operator.

Last year, Luka Koper transshipped from or to Japan almost half a million tonnes of goods, including about 40,000 vehicles and 27,000 container units.

The operator pointed out that Japanese companies also owned industrial plants in other Asian countries, which transshipped even larger amounts of goods through the Slovenian port, highlighting that the move would help further tap into the potential of the Japanese market.

Luka Koper also drew attention to last year's merger of three Japanese container shipping lines into a single business - the Ocean Network Express (ONE), which ranks sixth in terms of global ranking by vessel capacity.

ONE is not coming to Koper with its own direct shipping line, but it will operate as part of the Intra Mediterranean service, said Luka Koper, adding that setting up a direct commercial maritime link with Japan would definitely vastly increase transshipment business.

Referring to a milestone trade agreement between the EU and Japan which entered into force in February, Luka Koper said that the deal had opened up new possibilities in trade and service exchanges.

Moreover, in the wake of Brexit, Japan, coming up with an alternative to its plants in the UK, could opt for exporting goods, which would enable Luka Koper to capitalise on its own geo-strategic advantage.

Today's opening is another sign that Japanese companies are increasingly interested in the port of Koper. At the start of August, a delegation from Nagoya, the largest Japanese port in terms of transshipment, visited the port, expressing interest in strengthening the economic cooperation.

All our stories on Japan and Slovenia are here

STA, 15 August 2019 - A 69-year-old Japanese paraglider was killed after falling from a great height onto the slopes of a 1,673 metre-high mountain above the village of Breginj in the Kobarid area in western Slovenia on Thursday.

The Nova Gorica Police Department said they had been notified of the accident on the slopes of Mount Kobariški Stol just before 1am.

A helicopter rescue team was deployed, but on arriving at the scene established that the man had been dead on the spot.

The police ruled out any foul play, but will file a report on the accident with the Nova Gorica District Prosecutor's Office.