Japan - Kobe

Hamburg's connection to Japan - Kobe

Although Kobe is not a twin city of Hamburg, the port city is one of Japan's leading trading centres and shares many similarities with Hamburg. The port plays a central role in the economy and both cities are focussing on environmentally friendly technologies - particularly in the field of hydrogen. Japan, Germany and Hamburg are considered first movers in the development of a hydrogen supply chain, with Kobe playing a key role in the transport of liquid hydrogen with companies such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Since 2018, there has also been a MoU between Hamburg and Kobe, which creates the framework for cooperation on environmental and energy issues, especially hydrogen technology.

Kobe is also an important life science centre in Japan. Since 2015, the life science clusters from Kobe and Hamburg have been working closely together to promote exchange between business and science and drive forward joint research projects - for example in the field of cell therapy developments.

With its combination of innovative strength, research and sustainable port management, Kobe offers an excellent basis for in-depth cooperation with Hamburg.

HamburgAmbassador Setsuo Kosaka

Setsuo Kosaka was Japanese Consul General in Hamburg from 2010 to 2011. In this role, he promoted exchanges between the University of Kobe and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and worked to establish partnerships and collaborations between Kobe's medical cluster and northern Germany. In addition, he was able to convince a Toyota leasing company for hydrogen vehicles to co-operate with Hamburg's environmental policy as an environmental city.

After his appointment as honorary ambassador for Hamburg in 2012, he worked intensively on drafting a memorandum of understanding on economic exchange between the cities of Kobe and Hamburg. He is currently exploring the possibility of co-operation between Kobe and Hamburg in the fields of perovskite solar power generation and e-methane production.

Expertise for Hamburg

Group of professionally dressed people posing outdoors, two holding a sign reading "#FROM HAMBURG TO THE WORLD". — HamburgAmbassador Setsuo Kosaka visits Kawasaki with a Hamburg delegation from the Renewable Energy Cluster and Hamburg Invest

Setsuo Kosaka has been interested in cultural exchange between Japan and Germany since studying at a German university in 1976. His reason for this is that Japan has learnt a lot from Germany (then Prussia) since the Meiji Restoration of 1867 - from science and economics to the creation of national laws such as the constitution and political system.

During his year and a half or so as Consul General in Hamburg, he realised that his mission was to promote the many exchanges between Japan and Germany.