KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): The upcoming Malaysia Halal Expo 2019 (MHE 2019) is set to become a platform for Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to penetrate the Japanese market ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics 2020.

Themed “Malaysia to Japan for 2020 Olympics”, the expo will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Jan 24-26.

In a statement today, MHE 2019’s organiser SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp) said the event would feature 320 exhibition booths by export-ready entrepreneurs from various industries, including food and beverages, cosmetics, halal ingredients, logistics, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and personal care.

One of the highlights of the event, the Pocket Talk, will see representatives from the Government and the private sector sharing their knowledge and expertise on the Japanese market, as well as current business trends and requirements on doing business in Japan.

This year’s lineup will include a talk by Bank Negara Malaysia on “Access to Financing for SMEs”, followed by a forum featuring EXIM Bank, Association of Islamic Banking Institutions of Malaysia and SME Bank entitled “Financing for Export”.

Two Malaysian SMEs, Dr Aisha Solution and Nani’s Frozen Food Products will also be sharing their experience on ways to enter the Japanese market in a forum entitled "Sharing the Business Journey into Japan".

The MHE 2019 Pocket Talk will also be covering topics such as “Business Checklist into Japan” by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, “Bringing Halal Products Through Smart Functions” by BCA Group, and “Halal Sells” by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia.

It will also feature the “Japan Market and Halal” talk by the Muslim Professional Japan Association, “Halal Tech Funding” by Malaysian Technology Development Corporation and “Understanding Your Product and Market for Tokyo 2020 and Beyond” by Acrosx Japan Inc.

The MHE 2019 will be open to the public and admission is free.