Who are the people behind EU-Japan trade missions, cultural events, joint innovation and dialogue? What is their story and how did they become involved in developing international cooperation?

The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is happy to introduce the 6th instalment in a series of articles introducing the individuals and organisations making EU-Japan collaboration a reality – an interview with H.E. André J. Spiteri, the Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Japan.

H.E. André J. Spiteri, the Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Japan

Q: What is your professional background? How did you first get in contact with Japan and its culture?
André: My professional background is deeply rooted in diplomacy and international relations. I first came into contact with Japan and its culture as a student. My academic journey began as an exchange student back in 2002, when I had the privilege of studying at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka. I returned to Malta still wanting to keep in contact with Japan, so I worked in the only Japanese restaurant in Malta at that time. A few years later I won a MEXT scholarship and started studying the Japanese language at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and then for my post-graduate, I enrolled in Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto with my major in International Relations. Of course, these experiences when I was a student helped me immerse myself in Japanese culture, language, work ethic and also society, which naturally led to my professional engagement with Japan later in my career.

Q: Until 2020, you have been the Non-Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Japan. Could you tell us a little about the shift in Maltese policy to establish the Embassy of the Republic of Malta in Japan? What prompted the change and were there any difficulties in the process?
André: Before me, the Ambassador of Malta in China and Beijing was also accredited to Japan. The new government policy was that now there would be a Non-Resident Ambassador only to Japan and I was the first person in this position. One of my first plans and ambitions as an ambassador was to tell the Foreign Minister that we needed to open an Embassy in Japan since it is very important to be physically present in Japan. Vice versa, Japan didn’t have an embassy in Malta - it was the Japanese Ambassador in Rome that was accredited to Malta. It is very important for bilateral relations to develop, to have an embassy in each other’s countries. Of course, the decision to open a resident embassy was driven also by the growing importance of Japan as a strategic partner for Malta. Suffice to say, there was the increase of bilateral trade and tourism, which helped put Japan higher on the agenda of Malta economically speaking. There was an increasing number of collaborations between our countries also in education. Malta has a very active sector of learning English as a foreign language, and Japanese students go to Malta with this aim.
One of the important milestones for this development of policy was the first official visit of a Japanese Prime Minister to Malta. The late Shinzo Abe was the first Prime Minister to officially visit Malta in May 2017, and this was the first Malta-Japan Summit. Next year there was the follow-up visit of our former Prime Minister together with a trade mission to Japan. Two Malta-Japan Summits in two years, which was unprecedented. This put our bilateral relation to new heights, and we kickstarted the process of opening the Embassy in Japan. Of course, this was challenging because we had to open during a global pandemic in 2020. That time, as we all remember, was not very easy. There were administrative challenges, for example, opening a bank account, which wasn’t simple at the time, but we managed it and are very pleased with the progress. Plus, we are very honoured that likewise, Japan opened an embassy in Malta this year. We are living history!

Q: You have received the Higashi-Kuninomiya International Culture Award (東久邇宮国際文化褒賞) in 2021 for promoting cultural ties between Malta and Japan. What do you consider as some of the biggest successes in your position as the Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Japan?
André: First of all, I have to thank the Ambassador of Georgia for nominating me for this prestigious award. He said that he was impressed with the will and drive to open an embassy in Japan. Even when I was in Malta with limited capacity, not present in Japan, I was involved in organizing cultural events that bring both Maltese and Japanese people together, for example, exhibitions, music performances, film screenings, culinary events, academic exchanges…to name a few. I am also a firm believer when it comes to academic exchanges and partnerships between universities – besides experiencing it myself, I always believed in opening up the doors of opportunities to the people who come after me, especially the younger generation. For me, people relations are the grassroots of bilateral relations between Malta and Japan. I was also involved with the Malta Chamber of Commerce to organize the 1st EU-Japan EPA event in Malta. This was groundbreaking, back in 2016. There was another Japanese Business Etiquette Seminar(*) organized by the EU-Japan Centre at a later date - they sent an expert to Malta to teach companies the way to do business with Japan and the etiquette. It was very widely attended.

Q: What are the benefits for Maltese companies to do business in Japan, and what are the differences in approach between SMEs and big companies? 
André: Japan, being the third largest economy, can offer advantages to Maltese companies as it is a very developed economy and has a very large internal market. Additionally, many companies set up offices in Japan as the country can serve as a gateway to Asia and East Asia. They say if you make it big in Japan, you can also replicate the success in other parts of Asia as well. Furthermore, as an EU Member State, Malta and its companies are able to benefit from the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement which has removed many existing tariffs and trade barriers while also improving collaboration between the two sides in preventing future obstacles to trade. We do our best to educate and inform the Maltese businesses about such opportunities, including various cluster missions that the EU-Japan Centre organizes(**) – and then do follow-up with companies that go to Japan.
Both SMEs and large companies offer significant potential for collaboration. Due to Malta’s size, it is usually easier for Maltese companies to establish contact with small and medium-sized Japanese companies, rather than large companies. We also assist in these endeavours.
Overall, I believe that, although the Japanese market may be challenging to access initially, it is worth the effort as business relationships can last a long time and be highly rewarding. Being a small country, we do have our challenges of visibility and brand recognition. While all companies know about Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, small and especially micro-states like us have a challenge to promote our country and our history, culture and past successes. This is what we are doing, we are laying the foundation for the businesses.

Q: For almost 2 years now, you have also been acting in your role as the Malta Commissioner General to EXPO 2025 in Osaka. What were the biggest challenges you experienced during your preparation, be it administrative, legal, practical, etc.?
André: The preparation for such a big event is very exciting, but also challenging. One of the biggest challenges has been ensuring that the Malta Pavilion effectively represents our country’s heritage, values, and aspirations on the global stage. It is to make a small Malta. For the people that visit the Pavilion, we have to ensure that they get the image of what we offer as a country. From an administrative perspective, one of the biggest challenges for me as the Commissioner General was to coordinate between multiple stakeholders in both Malta and Japan, including government bodies, businesses, technical committees and cultural institutions, to make sure that we are in harmony. This requires careful planning and negotiation. The Embassy of Malta gives input on the ground, and we help connect the Malta side with that of their Japanese counterparts. We have had a few delegations coming, and more are planned to arrive. It is also a logistical challenge to start the construction. There were reports that it was not easy to find a construction company and we are having our pavilion, which is Type A, self-built. This is for us an unprecedented challenge because we have never done it before. It will be Malta’s most ambitious pavilion in an expo so far. Thankfully, due to a very good concentrated and collective effort, we are navigating quite well and are on our way to have the pavilion up and running before the opening in April in 2025. We are also working on a program to make sure that these six months have a steady and exciting programme for the visitors to the pavilion.

Q: What is the Malta Pavilion focused on and what do you expect to gain from the participation in the Osaka Expo?
André: In a nutshell, the Pavilion will focus on Malta’s rich cultural heritage, innovative spirit, and commitment to sustainability. We aim to highlight Malta as a hub of creativity and innovation, with a particular emphasis on education, IT, gastronomy, AI, and Blue economy. Through our participation in the Osaka Expo, we hope to strengthen Malta’s brand on the global stage and in Japan – the name recognition. It is a golden chance to have these six months, a window to Japan, to do so.

Q: For the Japanese companies that do want to do business in Malta, do you have any advice on how to approach Maltese companies or how to approach Malta? What about Maltese companies wanting to approach Japan?
André: One of the main important qualities of doing business in Japan is having a direct face-to-face encounter. For example, the EXPO can create opportunities for our businesses to visit Japan and likewise to host Japanese companies to Malta. This can be the start. Our main recommendation if you want to do business with Japan – you must be there for the long run, and it is important to be prepared. After you have been well equipped with knowledge, you can embark on starting a relationship with a Japanese company. There needs to be that first part, the preparation and the market research, to learn more about business partners and Japan as a whole. Having the embassy on the ground was one of our main targets and objectives – to be a window (madoguchi) to Malta. Japanese companies can also approach the embassy if they want to learn more about Malta. We can connect them with the right connections, and with the right agencies and authorities. Vice versa, sometimes Maltese companies come to us wanting to meet or get introduced, or they ask for some information about Japanese companies. We try our best to assist. That is one of the main roles of the embassy, to be a bridge or madoguchi between Malta and Japan.

Q: Would you like to highlight or promote any projects, either past or upcoming, that might be interesting for our subscribers?
André: I think the most ambitious projects were the establishment of the Embassy and the Malta pavilion for the EXPO. Personally, I prefer tangible projects that have a legacy rather than one-off events. For example, I am passionate about books and history, so I would like to delve more into the historical links between Malta and Japan. We have completed a book, first in English and then translated into Japanese language, about the Maltese sisters of the Order of the Sacred Heart in Nagasaki in WWII, and this proved to be quite an unknown piece of history between the two countries. We are also on our way to publish a book on the Japanese navy during World War I in Malta and about the 1862 Mission from Japan to Europe that stopped in Malta. Even though we will celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations next year, in 2025, our history goes beyond that. Of course, there are other projects that are quite interesting and exciting, but we will announce them next year during the EXPO and the 60th-year celebration, so please stay tuned!

Q: How do you see the relations between Malta and Japan evolving in the forthcoming years?
André: I am very optimistic. I see that Malta and Japan not only developed a strong bilateral relation, but also work together in a multilateral way. For example, both Malta and Japan served as non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council in 2023 and 2024. We are also aiming to increase the collaboration between our countries in fields like technology, education, sustainable development, people-to-people relations… We see great potential for growth in a few areas. Tourism – we would like to make Malta a more attractive destination for Japanese tourists, as we are seeing many Japanese tourists coming to Malta. Renewable energy -  very important for UNDG goals. Both Malta and Japan are surrounded by the sea, which is an important resource. Digital innovation and fintech - we are very passionate about and we look to collaborate on with Japan. There are lots of opportunities and potential for increased relations between Malta and Japan: between the people, companies, and government institutions, and we will make sure that our embassy will back and support these initiatives.

Thank you very much Ambassador Spiteri, for your availability and enthusiasm in this interview, it has been a real pleasure!
(Interview held in September 2024)

Curious about the previous interview with our Vulcanus mentors Dr. Hannes Voraberger and Mr. Massimo Esposito, to hear about their Vulcanus experiences? Click here!

(*) For more information about the Market Access Workshops, have a look at the dedicated page.
(**) For more information about our business missions, have a look at the dedicated page.