Join The JMEC 31 Program (2024/2025)

Are you a business owner seeking a customized business plan for entering or expanding into the Japanese market? If so, we invite you to take part in the Japan Market Expansion Competition—JMEC!

JMEC is a business training programme designed for full-time, mid-career professionals who want to improve their business planning skills.

Broadly speaking, our corporate members can engage with JMEC in two ways:

• Send employees to the program for high-quality and hands-on business training

• Provide a real business project from your company for a JMEC team to conduct

research and analysis, and produce a comprehensive business plan—based on

a detailed Scope of Work/deliverables


JMEC is now looking for participant and project applications for the next program, its 31st edition (2024/2025)—JMEC 31!

If you are interested in sending some of your employees for training in the program and/or provide a real business project for a JMEC team to work on, please read on.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Designed for full-time mid career professionals who want to improve their business planning skills, the JMEC business training program commences in November each year with a 7-Saturday lecture series covering topics related to researching and writing a professional business plan and how to do business in Japan. The lectures and workshops are led by senior business executives and successful start-up founders in Japan. 


The second part of the program starts in mid-January with research, analysis and writing of an actual business plan for a real project by a real company. Participants are placed onto teams of 4-5 people who then, supported by a team mentor and a team consultant, will spend the next four-five months preparing a business plan for your company. To make it even more interesting and further energize participants, this is also a business plan competition. In late May the teams will therefore present their plan to a panel of JMEC judges—before presenting it to the client company.

HOW TO ENGAGE WITH JMEC AS A COMPANY

1) Place your employees in the program as participants. Please ask your interested employees to first register for a JMEC 31 Info Session—see details and Web link for this further below.

2) Provide a business project from your company for a JMEC team to work on, conducting research and analysis, and produce a comprehensive business plan—based on a detailed Scope of Work/deliverables. Please contact Program Director trond@jmec.gr.jp if you are interested in submitting a project.


PROGRAM OUTLINE - PARTICIPANTS

Schedule:

November 16, 2024: Program starts with a lecture and workshop series over 7 Saturdays, in-person and on Zoom (people outside Tokyo can also participate)

January 18, 2025: Business plan projects from companies given to the teams

May 8, 2025: Submission of written business plan

May 24-25, 2025: Oral team presentations to the JMEC judging panel

May 26-June 3, 2025: Team presentations to project clients (companies)

June 4, 2025: JMEC Awards Ceremony at the Tokyo American Club

Price: ¥150,000/person

Application Deadline: October 15, 2024

Info Sessions: In-person and online info sessions; for dates and other details and the online application form is also available on the below link.


PROGRAM OUTLINE - PROJECT CLIENTS

Schedule:

January 18, 2025: Business plan projects from companies given to the teams

May 8, 2025: Submission of written business plan

May 26-June 3, 2025: Team presentations to project clients (companies)

June 4, 2025: JMEC Awards Ceremony at the Tokyo American Club

Price: ¥1,500,000/project

Application Deadline: November 30, 2024

'Early-Bird' Price: ¥1,200,000/project

Application Deadline: September 30, 2024

Contact: If you are interested in a potential project, contact trond@jmec.gr.jp and nele@jmec.gr.jp to discuss and get more information.

CONTACTS

If you are interested in a potential project, contact Trond Varlid, Program Director, and Nele Duprix, Assistant Program Director, to discuss and get more information.

NCCJ