FOR generations there have been strong commercial links between Japan and the North-East. When Victorian industrialist Lord Armstrong won orders to build ships for the Japanese navy, he would invite the dealmakers back to his home in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, to sign the contract.

Jesmond Dene House is now one of the region’s most stylish hotels and it was in the hotel reception five years ago that Sayoko Smith bumped into a group of fellow Japanese women and discussed the idea of setting up a support network to help people settle in the region.

It led to the formation of NEJWA (North- East Japanese Women’s Association).

Mrs Smith explains: “Many women come here to work for Japanese companies, or are married to managers at places like Nissan, Komatsu or Fujitsu, or study at local universities. Some are coming here for the very first time and we set up the association to offer them support and friendship.

“This wasn’t about a group of ‘ladies who lunch’. We saw there was an opportunity for us to help them appreciate what a wonderful region the North-East is and for them to share Japanese culture with local people, for example through concerts or a demonstration of the traditional tea ceremony.”

NEJWA has organised events across the region, most recently its hugely successful fifth anniversary celebration which was held at Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland.

Following the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, the association provided a focal point for fundraising to support aid and reconstruction in the Miyagi prefecture on Japan’s north-east coast. The efforts included a concert at the Sage Gateshead organised by Northumbrian Water which raised £25,000 for the Japanese Disaster Fund.

“It was a tragic time, but the spontaneous kindness of people in the North-East will never be forgotten by people in Japan,”

recalls Mrs Smith.

In 2011, Mrs Smith and her husband, Kingsley, who spent 17 years as chief executive of Durham County Council, received commendations from the Japanese consulate in recognition of their contribution “to the deepening of mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and North-East England”.

Mr Smith, who spent more than 30 years working with Japanese companies and helping them to invest in the North-East, said that Hitachi recognised the importance of the NEJWA when deciding to open a trainbuilding plant in Newton Aycliffe, that will lead to more than 1,000 new factory and construction jobs.

NORTH East Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Ramsbotham is among those who have called on the association for help. He says: “NEJWA may have started life as a social group, but it has grown into a considerable asset in our region’s inward investment offer.

“It can be incredibly stressful moving to another country, particularly if you aren’t familiar with the language, culture or basic geography of your new surroundings. NEJWA plays a vital role in helping Japanese workers and their families acclimatise and settle in our region, which is so important to the ongoing success of the Japanese companies in the North-East.

“It is a unique and welcoming organisation that can be as helpful for businesses looking to trade in Japan as it is to those coming to the North-East.

Ahead of a recent trade mission to Osaka, Sayoko Smith provided me with some invaluable guidance on Japanese formal etiquette, so important in their business community.

“That it is celebrating its fifth anniversary is a clear demonstration of its value to the region and I would congratulate everyone associated with NEJWA for the excellent service it provides.”

THERE are now more than 50 businesses in the North-East with Japanese owners or parent companies. In 1983, Nissan became the first Japanese car-maker to build a new plant in Europe.The opening of the factory in Sunderland became the catalyst for supply chain firms to set up shop across the region – providing work for thousands.

The plant itself now employs more than 6,100 people and last year became the first UK car factory to make more than 500,000 vehicles in a year.

Completion of a cavernous new £22.5m warehouse by Vantec Europe, which will house parts for Nissan, was the latest investment from the Osaka-headquartered group which has been operating in the North-East for 23 years.

But it’s not all about Nissan.

NSK Bearings Europe has been producing vehicle bearing products in Peterlee since 1976. It recently announced a £23.5m investment in its County Durham facility, after being awarded £3.5m from the Regional Growth Fund. As well as an on-site training centre, established for the firm's 400-strong workforce, the cash will bring improvements to its production line and warehousing.

Last year, excavator manufacturer Komatsu UK celebrated a quarter of a century in the region. Since opening it has produced 60,000 machines and has generated turnover of more than £3.8bn, making a huge contribution to the North-East economy. In 1991, Komatsu City and Gateshead were twinned, and 20 years later the Komatsu City Friendship Garden was opened in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, to recognise the close links that have developed over the years.

Car parts maker Nifco UK, part of the Nifco Group, of Japan, has built two new factories in Eaglescliffe near Stockton – the first opened by HRH The Duke of York. Nifco’s Teesside operation has since become firm’s de facto European headquarters.

Mike Matthews, managing director of Nifco UK and European operations officer said: “NEJWA is a really outstanding organisation that has not only established a friendly face for people coming over to the North-East from Japan, but has played a much more important role in sending out a clear message to Japanese companies that this is a place where they should do business.

“Many of the Japanese companies in the North-East are going through a period of growth. The success that the area has seen is in no small part down to the fact that, through organisations like the NEJWA, the North-East is able to demonstrate strong links to Japan. I am sure they will continue to play an important role in the strengthening of the relationship the North-East enjoys with Japan for many more years to come.”

This month, Consett company CAV Aerospace, a market leader in ice protection systems for aircraft, was given a vote of confidence with a cash injection from the government’s Regional Growth Fund.

The opening of Hitachi’s new train factory in 2016 suggests that ties between Japan and the North-East are set to become even stronger.