Meeting followed by a dinner in honour of 20 representatives of a number of prestigious Japanese stock exchange brokers' companies investing in the Athens Stock Exchange was organized at the Greek Ambassador's Residence on the 16th of February 2006.

Mr. Akira Imamura, Director of the Central and Southeastern Europe Division of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the dinner, along with Mr. Shigeru Kikuma from the Division of International Science Cooperation of the same Ministry.
The participants at the meeting and the dinner were executives of such prestigious Japanese groups as Nikko Citigroup, Sumitomo Trust and Banking, Resona Trust Bank, Nomura Asset Management, Nissay Asset Management, Daiwa SB Investment, Deutsche Asset Management, Fuji Investment Management, VistaMax Fund Advisors, Meiji Dresdner Asset Management, Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management, Daiwa Asset Management and Sompo Japan Asset Management.

During the meeting, an extensive exchange of views and a very animated discussion over dinner revealed the earnest Japanese equity investors’ interest in the Greek Stock Exchange market. All the participants, mostly managers of pension funds said that they have already invested in the Athens Stock Exchange, which has recorded a very impressive performance over the last years. The same managers assured that their intention is to stay there and further explore the very attractive stock market of Greece.

Concluding the dinner the Greek Ambassador K. Rodoussakis announced that Athens Stock Exchange President Mr. Sp. Kapralos is intending to come to Tokyo heading a Stock Exchange mission very soon. He will present to the Japanese brokers all the aspects and ongoing trends of the Greek market.

The representative of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Akira Imamura on the other hand presented all the joint Greek - Japanese efforts for a stable peaceful, economically strong and European oriented wider Balkan area. Mr. Imamura gave also a brief account from an Inter Balkan Ministerial Conference held in Athens on the 24th of January, 2006. Mr. Imamura had represented Japan in the Conference.

source: The Embassy of Greece in Japan