EBC Newsletter – February 19, 2025

On 14 February, the EBC Railway Committee held its annual workshop with representatives from JR East, JR West, JR Central, and Tokyo Metro. This year’s event was hosted by Tokyo Metro at its state-of-the-art training centre in Shin-Kiba.

The workshop featured insightful presentations from EBC Railway Committee members, alongside key contributions from JR East and JR West. A major highlight was their initiative to explore the co-development of standards and assessment schemes for railway products—a crucial step toward greater openness and harmonisation in Japan’s railway sector.

Currently, Japan’s regulatory framework for railway products and services remains highly fragmented, lacking common standards. The EBC has long advocated for a more unified and transparent approach, and this initiative represents a promising move in that direction.

Japan’s railway industry is world-renowned for its efficiency and innovation. However, its regulatory framework remains complex and fragmented, creating significant barriers for foreign suppliers. The EBC White Paper on Railway highlights several key challenges:

🔹 Lack of Common Standards – Unlike Europe, where rail products adhere to unified standards, Japan lacks a common certification system, making approvals costly, time-consuming, and unpredictable for foreign manufacturers.
🔹 Opaque and Unilateral Approval Processes – Railway products and technologies are often approved on a case-by-case basis by individual railway operators, without standardized procedures. This limits competition and raises entry barriers for foreign businesses.
🔹 Restricted Access to Public Procurement – Many foreign suppliers face difficulties accessing procurement opportunities, particularly as railway operators owned fully or partially by governmental entities are often excluded.
🔹 Safety and Performance Certification Challenges – The absence of mutual recognition agreements between Japan and Europe forces companies to undergo redundant testing, even for products already certified in Europe.

To address these issues, the EBC Railway Committee actively engages with key stakeholders, including Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and major railway operators such as JR East, JR West, JR Central, and Tokyo Metro. The committee advocates for:

✅ Open and harmonized standards that align with international norms
✅ Greater regulatory transparency to ensure fair competition
✅ A streamlined approval process to reduce unnecessary costs and delays

By working towards a more open, competitive, and innovation-friendly railway market, the EBC Railway Committee continues to support both European businesses and the future development of Japan’s railway sector.

European companies in the railway sector looking to expand in Japan are encouraged to join the EBC Railway Committee to collaborate with industry peers, gain valuable insights, and contribute to shaping a fairer and more accessible market.

On 5 March, 18:00-19:00 JST (in Japanese, free of charge for members / JPY 2,000 for non-members)

Rooted in Belgium, imec is the world’s leading independent nanoelectronics R&D hub. A few years back imec partnered with Japanese chip manufacturer Rapidus, and there are plans to build a base in Hokkaido. So how important is Japan to imec, what are the future projects here? Join BLCCJ members for an insightful presentation by Keith Ito, Representative Director imec Japan and Head of Strategic Partnership Japan.
More details

To register, please send an email to [email protected] before Friday 28 February 18:00 JST. BLCCJ will send you a confirmation email.
Payments by bank transfer have to be confirmed by 28 February 18:00 JST. BLCCJ will send the payment details in the confirmation email.

Osaka Business and Investment Center (O-BIC) invites everyone to its upcoming online seminar designed for anyone considering establishing a business base in Osaka.

Date & Time: 26 February (Wed), 15:00-16:00 (Zoom webinar access opens at 14:50)

Hosted by: O-BIC, a joint effort of Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, and Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Language: Simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation available.

Content:
15:00-15:05　　Opening Remarks & Overview of Osaka (O-BIC)
15:05-15:10　　Overview of Online Tour (O-BIC)
15:10-15:30　　Introduction to GRAND GREEN OSAKA / Live Broadcast of FUTRWORKS (Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corporation)
15:30-15:35　　Live Broadcast of the Center of Osaka City (around Osaka Station) 15:35-15:45　　Brief Summary of the General Process for Setting Up an Office in Japan (Nakaya Kazutora Legal Office)
15:45-16:00　　Q&A Session

Registrations by 21 February (Fri)
For inquiries: Contact Kato or Takeda at O-BIC – Email: [email protected]

Valerie Moschetti
EBC Chief Operating Officer

• Japan and Australia are partnering to foster the development of IT personnel in Pacific island nations, looking to counter China’s growing presence in the region. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Australian government bring together senior officials overseeing the digital sector in many countries around the region for a three-day session starting Monday in Japan. Fifteen nations in the Pacific Islands Forum, including Palau and the Solomon Islands, will participate. (Nikkei Asia)
• The government plans to submit a bill to the ordinary Diet session to authorize disclosing the names of companies that use generative artificial intelligence for malicious activities. The proposed legislation states that if citizens’ rights and interests are violated, the government will investigate malicious AI-related cases, provide guidance to such companies, and then publicly announce their names. (The Japan News)
• Big Japanese companies reduced their carbon dioxide emissions relative to sales by nearly a third in 2024 compared with three years earlier, in a sign that they are balancing lower CO2 output and earnings growth. The cuts were driven by a shift to renewable energy sources for powering factories and offices, but companies face a higher hurdle in lowering emissions from their own operations. (Nikkei Asia)

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