As Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization JETRO Düsseldorf, Dai Ueda acts as a link between German and Japanese cooperation partners. In October 2020, the Tokyo native was sent to the state capital for the second time to promote foreign direct investment to Japan as well as the export and expansion of Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises in foreign markets. The 58-year-old passionate hobby violinist and Robert Schumann fan lives here with his wife and daughter.

Dai Ueda, Director Genereal of JETRO Düsseldorf

What took you to Düsseldorf?
While performing my duties for JETRO, I have been fortunate enough to be transferred to Germany several times for longer periods. At the end of the 1990s, I was in Hamburg for a few years. After nine years in Japan, I lived in Düsseldorf for the first time from 2011 to 2015. Then it was back to Japan and since October 2020 I've been back in Düsseldorf with my family - and I'm very happy about that.

Düsseldorf in three words:
International, busy, lively

Düsseldorf is international because...
... it is an attractive business metropolis in Germany, home to many important economic players. I have the feeling that people here are very open and it is very easy to integrate. My daughter, who attends the International School, also has this positive experience.

Düsseldorf is my second home because...
... you get valuable business support from a business perspective. From the city, the state government, the IHK and many other institutions. As a Japanese, I feel particularly at home because there are over 400 Japanese companies here and many supporting institutions from Japan. The whole infrastructure makes for a pleasant life in "Little Tokyo" on the Rhine. The many Japanese shops and restaurants hardly make you homesick for Japan.

What can you only find here?
Very close and friendly relations. When I first came to Düsseldorf in spring 2011, the big earthquake and nuclear disaster had just happened. We received so much support during that time, through donations, words and other gestures. That touched me deeply. And it shows: A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Here I get inspired:
On the one hand, walking along the Rhine with my family and my dog, that simply calms me. On the other hand, I'm a big fan of classical music and a hobby violinist. Düsseldorf is an ideal place for that: I very often attend concerts at the Tonhalle and the State Opera. For me, Düsseldorf is above all Robert Schumann City.

Here I get in a good mood:
With really good food. I like Rhenish cuisine very much, especially meat dishes like the traditional Rhenish Sauerbraten and sausages. And when I get a craving for dishes from home, then there are the Japanese restaurants in Düsseldorf that have something delicious for every taste and budget.

This is where I meet interesting people:
I am involved in the German-Japanese Business Circle DJW in Düsseldorf, which regularly organises interesting events on various topics. I'm also on the board of the Lower Rhine German-Japanese Society, which focuses more on cultural activities. Both help me to make more German contacts as well. That enriches me a lot. •

Interview Tom Corrinth

WHY DÜSSELDORF? Dai Ueda