As part of Papastratos' presence at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair, Alexandros Chatzopoulos, Vice President of the company, participated in the discussion organized by Enterprise Greece at the honored country's pavilion on the topic “Bilateral economic and trade relations between Greece and Japan. Exporting innovation to Japan”.
In his greeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Haris Theocharis highlighted the prospects for further strengthening the economic relations between Greece and Japan, noting that Japan, the honored country of this year's TIF, is a global point of reference in technology, quality, industrial excellence, and innovation and can become an important strategic partner for the Greek economy.
At the same time, he underlined the dynamism of Greek entrepreneurship, stating that Greek exports to Japan increased by 41.8% in 2025, and emphasized the need to move from “exporting to Japan” to “innovating with Japan”. In closing, he referred to the Strategic Extroversion Plan 2026-2030, aiming for a Greece that does not simply export more, but exports more value.
For his part, Dimitris Skalkos, Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Extroversion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President of Enterprise Greece, referred to the dynamism of Greek extroversion and the expansion of the presence of Greek businesses in new markets, noting: “As the extroversion of the Greek economy is strengthened, our exporting businesses that incorporate innovation are continuously strengthening their presence in new markets, such as that of Japan”.
In his remarks, Alexandros Chatzopoulos, Vice President of Papastratos, highlighted the importance of investing in manufacturing, know-how, and stability as key prerequisites for strengthening the extroversion and international competitiveness of Greek businesses.
Drawing on Papastratos' experience in Japan, he noted that the company's strong presence in that specific market constitutes not only a significant business success, but also a substantial contribution to the country's broader export footprint. It is characteristic that in 2025, 83% of the value of Greek exports to Japan came from the heated tobacco sticks produced at the Papastratos factory in Aspropyrgos, while today 60% of the factory's production is directed to the Japanese market.
Referring to the particularities of the Japanese market, he characteristically noted: “Japan is a particularly demanding market. They will not buy the product because it is Greek. They will buy it because it is good and is delivered with the same quality and consistency steadily. For a Greek industry such as Papastratos, this constitutes strong recognition that our production activity in Aspropyrgos can compete on equal terms in the most developed markets in the world”.
Speaking about the role of businesses themselves in strengthening Greek extroversion, Alexandros Chatzopoulos focused on three key factors. First, systematic investment in manufacturing, citing as an example the major transformation of Papastratos that began in 2017 with the support of Philip Morris International.
Second, investment in people and know-how, which, as he noted, is built over time. And third, stability and consistency, both at the level of investments and in the production of products with consistent quality and reliability.
The discussion was complemented by the experiences of Greek businesses with a presence in the Japanese market. Grigorios Koutsogiannis, CEO of EFA GROUP, focused on the importance of adapting to market demands and building long-term partnerships, while Eleni Polychronopoulou, President of ERMA GROUP and HEMEXPO and Vice President of SEA Europe, highlighted the opportunities for Greek technological and industrial solutions, particularly in the sectors of shipping, energy saving, and technology. The discussion was moderated by journalist Giorgos Fintikakis.