Nearly 400 international and Japanese business leaders, 23 Chambers of Commerce, the Mayor of Osaka on stage for the first time, and a clear message for international companies: Osaka city can offer almost everything the capital does, at 30 to 50% lower cost. On Friday, 5 June 2026, Czech-Japan Hub was among the co-hosts of the Kansai International Meishi Exchange, and the evening showed that Kansai keeps its doors open to international business.
The Meishi Exchange takes its name from the Japanese word for business card. The "meishi" (名刺) exchange opens almost every first meeting in Japan, and it gives this evening its purpose: bringing people together across borders and industries. This year it filled the Waldorf Astoria Osaka with close to 400 Japanese and international professionals.
The evening was organised jointly by the American (ACCJ), British (BCCJ), Canadian (CCCJ), German (AHK Japan), Indian (ICCJ), Korean (KCCJ) and French (CCIFJ) chambers of commerce, the Kobe (KCCI) and Osaka (OCCI) chambers of commerce and industry, and Czech-Japan Hub. CJH is the youngest of the co-hosting organisations, and even so nearly 20 of us took part. More than 100 members of the Osaka Chamber attended this year, a sign of growing local interest in the international community in Kansai.
For the first time, the reception was opened by the Mayor of Osaka, Hideyuki Yokoyama. He praised the Meishi Exchange as the largest gathering of the business community since the close of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, an evening whose attendance was almost double that of the year before. He also came with a message for companies weighing a move into Japan: "Osaka can give them top-class facilities, strong business environment and favorable living conditions – in practice almost everything Tokyo offers, but at significantly lower costs".
Among the guests were consuls general, chamber chairs and honorary presidents from across the region. Over a buffet and cocktails, conversations ran across a wide mix of sectors. Hospitality and digital industries, artificial intelligence in particular, were strongly represented, alongside firms that help international companies set up in Japan and a number of local institutions. The evening closed with a raffle, its prizes including stays at luxury hotels in the region.
The evening confirmed what Czech-Japan Hub sees on the ground: international business is welcome in Osaka and across Kansai. For Czech companies looking at Japan, we believe Osaka or Kobe can be the right place to begin. We thank our fellow co-hosts and every guest who joined us, and we look forward to next year.