Jordi Hereu meets with Japanese airlines JAL and ANA to expand direct air connections with Spain

The Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, who is taking part in the National Day of Spain events at Expo Osaka 2025, has held various meetings to boost commercial, industrial and tourism cooperation with Japan.

Accompanied by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, and the Spanish Ambassador to Japan, Iñigo de Palacio, the Minister held meetings with executives from the country's two main airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA), to convey Spain's interest and support for the establishment of new direct air connections between the two countries, in addition to the three weekly flights currently operated by Iberia and JAL through a codeshare agreement.

In this regard, the minister highlighted that the number of visitors from Japan to Spain increased by 32% in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching a figure of more than 410,000 travellers. At the same time, the number of Spanish tourists in Japan has also grown considerably, with a 40% increase in 2024 compared to the pre-pandemic situation. For this reason, he indicated that this reinforcement of air connections would be positive for both countries.

Working meeting with the Japanese Tourism Minister

Later, during the meeting with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Mr. Hiromasa Nakano, in addition to reiterating this request, Hereu stressed that Japan and Spain are two leading countries in terms of tourist attractiveness and competitiveness.

The Minister for Industry and Tourism also stressed that Japan is a reliable and priority partner for Spain, with which we have a long history of friendship and collaboration. For this reason, he offered to strengthen economic, business and tourism cooperation between the two countries, especially in the current geopolitical context.

Meeting with Japanese and Spanish companies

Hereu also held a working meeting with Japanese companies and Spanish companies with investments in the country, mainly in the industrial and tourism sectors, in which they analysed the current context and the possibilities of continuing to expand economic and commercial collaboration between the two countries.

During the meeting, the minister highlighted the good relations between the two countries, as demonstrated by the recent meeting of the Spain-Japan Bilateral Business Cooperation Committee.

In this regard, in addition to expressing support for Spanish companies that currently have investments in Japan, Hereu invited Japanese firms to continue investing in Spain, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the country, the commitment to reindustrialisation and the support of industrial policy lines, where he highlighted the role of the PERTES.

Non official translation