EBC Newsletter – July 29, 2020

July 29, 2020 EBC Newsletter – July 29, 2020

News, Newsletter

 

From the EBC

 
Dear Friends of the EBC,

The EBC is still working hard to advocate against the (re-)entry ban to Japan for non-Japanese nationals. Foreigners legally living, working, studying and paying taxes in this country should be authorized, after undergoing tests and a quarantine, to come back and continue to contribute to the Japanese economy.

On July 22, our president, Mr. Michael Mroczek, gave a press conference explaining the various problems caused to our members by this re-entry ban. We conducted a survey at the beginning of July (updated this week after receiving new data) showing that 86% of surveyed companies are burdened by the ban, which led us to issue a new statement to convey our concerns.

Today, in the Nikkei Shimbun, Mr. Tanabe, Managing Director at the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, wrote a very interesting article (Japanese article / English translation), underlining the importance of the economic ties between Japan and the European Union. His organization is contributing for more than 30 years now to the strengthening of economic ties between the two regions. The EU-Japan Centre is organizing an interesting webinar this week on the influence of COVID-19 on the European economy.

We wish you a good reading and hope you stay positive and healthy during this difficult time.

Valerie Moschetti
EBC Chief Operating Officer

EBC Press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan

 
On July 22, the EBC president, Mr. Michael Mroczek, gave a press conference on the (re-entry) ban to Japan for non-Japanese nationals, together with the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Mr. Christopher J. LaFleur.

You can watch it on YouTube.

New EBC Statement on the limitations on re-entering Japan

 
Since May 2020, the EBC has been approached by numerous European companies suffering from the travel ban. In July, we conducted a survey on the impact of the (re-)entry ban to Japan on European businesses, which led us to issue a new statement to convey our concerns.

Updated survey on the impact of the (re-)entry ban to Japan on European businesses

 
Our survey on the impact of the (re-)entry ban to Japan on European businesses has been updated as we received new data from some Chambers. The trends and conclusions remain the same.

You can read it on our website.

Webinar of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation on the influence of COVID-19
on the European economy

 
The slowdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe has allowed the economy to progressively restart, but secondary infections are still considered a major risk by companies.

An outlook of macro economy is important to overcome this unprecedented crisis, but looking into how European companies, including local Japanese companies, are responding to the current situation may help in reading future trends.

In this webinar, a speaker from JETRO Tokyo will provide explanations on the Japanese perspective, while a speaker from SMEunited (formerly UEAPME) in Brussels will give insights on the European perspective.

Date and time: 16:30-18:00 on Friday, July 31, 2020
Registration: https://portal.voiceboxer.com/events/5y0v3i/register

The registration is a 2-step process:  you must first create an account on the Voiceboxer platform before registering to the webinar.  Your registration to the webinar will be complete once you receive a confirmation email for the event.
Please contact Ms. Benoist ([email protected]) or Mr. Sasaki ([email protected]) regarding any issues or inquiries. (more information : https://support.voiceboxer.com/article/register-for-an-event/ )

What’s in the Media

  • Japanese automakers eye e-fuel as alternative to EVs (The Japan Times)
  • Japan’s Jan.-March corporate sales show biggest fall since 2011 (The Mainichi)
  • Japanese government to ask firms to ensure at least 70% of staff work from home (The Japan Times)
  • Japan’s travel ban has hit 85% of European businesses there: trade lobby (Japan Today)
  • Businesses asked to join dine-out campaign (News on Japan)
  • Cabinet OKs economic guidelines to push digitalization, telecommuting under Japan’s ‘new normal’ (The Japan Times)

Upcoming EBC Committee Meetings

Date Committee Time / Location
July 30 (Thursday) Human Resources EBC
09:00~
August 18 (Tuesday) Sustainability and Social Responsibility Off-site
08:30~
August 27 (Thursday) Medical Equipment & Diagnostics Committee Off-site
14:00~
August 28 (Friday) Automotive Components & Aftermarket EBC
16:00~
August 31 (Monday) Materials EBC
17:30~

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

The EBC 2020 White Paper has been published

 
The EBC has finalised its new report on the Japanese regulatory business environment. This year’s White Paper is called “Strengthening partnerships – in crisis and opportunity alike”. The opportunity is of course referring to the EU-Japan EPA that entered into force on February 1, 2019. Unfortunately, at the same time the COVID -19 crisis struck the world. We are, however, confident that with our recommendations, the European and Japanese economies and companies will continue to prosper.

The White Paper will be uploaded on the EBC homepage shortly and will also be used to advocate for those changes that European businesses in Japan would like to see.

For further information on the 2020 White Paper, please read this article in EuroBiz.

European Business Council JAPAN
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TEL 03-3263-6222   |   FAX 03-3263-6223
www.ebc-jp.com/