EBC Newsletter – November 18, 2020

Although foreigners can now (re-)enter Japan, they still face some difficulties, and we continue our advocacy work. In this article, Bjorn Kongstad, our Policy Director, summarized our various actions regarding Japan’s travel restrictions since May 2020.

If your company is still experiencing problems on this issue, feel free to contact us by email or telephone (03-3263-6222) !

The EBC Food & Agriculture Committee is planning to set up a special meeting on food contact. The Japanese regulation regarding food contact or food contact materials has always been a somewhat special chapter for European companies in the food, packaging and retail sectors. With the change to a so-called positive list system earlier this year, there are still some teething troubles for European companies to overcome. If you have an interest in this topic, please contact the EBC !

To conclude, we bring to your attention a webinar on EU-Japan collaborative industrial innovation – Transforming business in the digital, green and space transitions. It will be held on 1st December 2020 by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, with various companies’ testimonials.

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

Valerie Moschetti
EBC Chief Operating Officer

The meeting will be on 1 December from 09H00. It will be a hybrid meeting, meaning that you are more than welcome to come to the EBC office or to access the meeting via Webex.

If you are interested in joining us, do let us know ([email protected]) whether you will be coming to the office or whether you will join via Webex.

Looking forward to seeing you.

* Food contact materials are basically materials that come in contact with food, such as packaging, containers, plates and drinking glasses. In Japan, also some toys are covered by the same regulation.

• Enabling the new space economy: the benefits of space logistics
• Robot as a Service for inspection and maintenance of infrastructures
• New health-creation system beyond treatment – preventative health tools for lifelong health
• Global business and collaboration on an eco-friendly foamed glass “Porous Alpha

For further information and registration, please read this programme.

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.