EBC Newsletter – November 22, 2023

November 22, 2023 EBC Newsletter – November 22, 2023

News, Newsletter

 

From the EBC

Dear Friends of the EBC,

Our committees are groups where companies can, among various objectives, monitor the Japanese market, share best practices and discuss the influence of public policies on business.

On 18 November, the EBC Automotive Components and Aftermarket Committee arranged a Digital Automotive Summit at the EU Delegation. At the event, Haitze Siemers, Deputy Head of Mission, gave welcoming remarks and representatives from both European and Japanese industry shared their views on the digitalisation that the Automotive industry is currently going through and will continue to go through. In addition, the European Commission also presented its actions in this field.
The EBC would like to warmly thank the Chair of the Committee, Christian Seidel, the German Chamber in Japan and the EU Delegation for the active and kind cooperation in making this event a successful one.

From left to right at the concluding panel: Christian Seidel (Chair of the EBC Auto Comp Committee and FIT Voltaira), Fabio Finotto (Woven by Toyota), Peter Fatelnig (EU Delegation), Nikolaus Boltze (Thyssenkrupp), Jürgen Müller (IAV) and Stefan Gspurning (Nissan). Mark Nicklas of DG GROW of the European Commission presented online.
The Sustainability Committees of the EBC and the Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE) held their first joint event on 21 November. It led to fruitful discussions on sustainable and responsible supply chains. Speakers from METI, the European Commission, Panasonic, Tony’s Chocolonely, Teijin and Maersk shared their views on challenges and solutions to build supply chains that respect human rights and do not harm the environment. A joint EBC-JBCE position paper will be produced based on these discussions and submitted to the public authorities of Japan and the EU. After this first successful initiative, the EBC and the JBCE will continue to develop their cooperation in 2024.
The EBC is delighted to announce that its traditional White Paper launching event will take place on 14 December from 16:00 at the EU Delegation in Hiroo. Some of the EBC Committees will give a brief presentation of the issues they face on the Japanese market, and more importantly, the recommendations they make to the Japanese Government and in some cases also to the European Commission.
To register, send an email to [email protected]
The EBC team is looking forward to seeing you there!

If your company would like to take part in our committees’ work in order to gain a better understanding of the Japanese market or to complement its lobbying strategy, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Valerie Moschetti
EBC Chief Operating Officer

What’s in the Media

  • The Cultural Affairs Agency has come up with a draft outline specifying issues that need to be examined in connection with copyright and generative artificial intelligence. The agency submitted the draft outline to a subcommittee of the Cultural Council on Monday. It has been pointed out that media outlets’ news content and the works of creative people are being used to train AI systems that generate images and texts — without the consent of the original materials’ copyright holders. (The Japan News)
  • Railway operators are accelerating moves to put hydrogen fuel cell trains into commercial use. The trains are expected to help cut CO2 emissions and boost the decarbonization of society. In light of these developments, the government intends to review related regulations and push for the spread of such trains. (The Japan News)
  • Japan’s competition watchdog is stepping up its scrutiny of big tech companies by recruiting more lawyers with expertise in the industry. The Fair Trade Commission currently employs 25 lawyers with previous experience in the internet technology sector or extensive knowledge of legal tech cases overseas. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Upcoming EBC Committee Meetings

Date Committee Time / Location
Dec 1 (Fri) Liquor hybrid
0830~
Dec 6 (Wed) Energy hybrid
1330~
Dec 7 (Thu) Medical Equipment & Diagnostics Off-site
1430-~
Dec 11 (Mon) Materials hybrid
1730~
Dec 12 (Tue) Railways hybrid
1600~
Dec 13 (Wed) Legal Services TBC
1200~
Dec 19 (Tue) Sustainability & Social Responsibility Hybrid
0930~
Dec 21 (Thu) Telecommunications Equipment Web
1000~

If you are interested in joining a committee meeting, please contact the EBC to confirm the time and meeting place.

Stakeholders of the EBC:

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