Japanese companies are looking beyond Tokyo and Osaka to expand their footprint in Southeast Asia — and the Philippines is firmly on their radar.

A delegation from the Kyoto Employers Association (KEA), composed of next-generation business leaders, visited BDO Unibank’s headquarters in Makati as part of their first business mission to the country.

Organized with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Osaka, the visit aimed to strengthen business, labor, and investment ties between Japan and the Philippines. The KEA delegation, comprised of entrepreneurs and executives aged 50 and below, represents a broad spectrum of industries including automotive, real estate, IT, design, food manufacturing, recycling, refrigeration, and legal services.

BDO Unibank, through its Senior Vice President and Deputy Department Head of Financial Institutions and International Desks Monina Elena Camigla, presented the group with key insights on the local labor market, investment prospects, and regulatory landscape.

KEA is one of the four major economic organizations in Kyoto Prefecture, with over 430 member companies under its wing—including globally known brands like Kyocera, Nidec, Horiba, and Shimadzu.

The discussions at BDO focused on building deeper cooperation between Kyoto-based firms and Philippine stakeholders, especially in regions outside the traditional Japanese business hubs.

BDO, the only Philippine bank with fully established International Desks, has long supported foreign investors entering the local market. Its Japan Desk, formed in 2007, offers Japanese-speaking personnel and relationship managers equipped to handle both corporate and retail banking needs of Japanese clients in the country.

The visit of the KEA delegation highlights growing Japanese interest in Philippine opportunities and reinforces the role of established partners like BDO in helping foreign businesses thrive.