He received this title because of his business network in Rotterdam. Historically, NautaDutilh has close ties with Japan, Jan-Willem Sodderland was one of the founders of the Rotterdam-Japan Club, a club that is highly regarded in Japan. With this appointment Erik joins the board of the Rotterdam-Japanclub as co-chair and takes a step into the heart of the Japanese business community in Rotterdam-Rijnmond.

The position of honorary consul is mainly symbolic. Specific consular activities such as visas, passport issues, etc. are explicitly excluded from the activities. "As an honorary consul, you are a good business liaison, and in this role I anticipate to be able to use my network to improve the business ties between Rotterdam and Japan. In addition to business contacts, I also hope to be able to initiate cultural and sporting activities when possible again," says Erik