EBC Newsletter – September 29, 2021

EBC Newsletter – September 29, 2021

 

From the EBC

Dear Friends of the EBC,

On the occasion of Commissioner Breton’ s visit to Japan, the EBC President, Michael Mroczek and other European and Japanese businessmen exchanged with him. The main objective of his trip was to engage with officials and industry leaders on digital and tech matters. Please read this article for further details.

Part of the fight against climate change involves various actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the coming weeks, several ministries and organisations are offering webinars and conferences on this subject:

To end with a cultural information, the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee has supported various projects at the European Capitals of Culture since 1993. They just launchedj a crowdfunding campaign with the objective to raise awareness of the collaborative work and projects between the European Capitals of Culture and Japanese artists and youth.

We hope you stay positive and healthy during this difficult time.

Valerie Moschetti
EBC Chief Operating Officer

Visit of Commissioner Breton to Japan

 

Click here to the article

Webinars / Conferences

 

The 3rd International Conference on Carbon Recycling 2021 (4 October 2021)

We are pleased to announce that “The 3rd International Conference on Carbon Recycling 2021” (hereinafter referred to as “this conference”) will be held online on 4th October, organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), as part of Tokyo ‘Beyond-Zero’ Week, a series of international conferences on energy and the environment to be held intensively from 4th to 8th October.

It aims to present a practical paths and methods for realizing a “virtuous cycle of economy and environment” toward Carbon Neutrality for the entire world, and even Beyond-Zero CO2 reductions in the past stock base.

And this conference would be held as a platform for active discussions on Carbon Recycling, a key technology for realizing Carbon Neutrality in the world, and for its implementation in society.

Date and Time: 4 October 2021, 15:30-18:30
Venue: Online

Registration for this conference is available at the following website: https://carbon-recycling2021.go.jp/en/#home

This website also contains contents on Carbon Recycling Technologies by various companies and organizations, and we would appreciate your visiting it.

 

What is the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)?~ Following the announcement of the bill on 14 July (6 October 2021, EU-Japan Centre)

On 14 July, the European Commission announced the climate change legislation
package “Fit for 55” (FF55). In the package, CBAM (Border Carbon Adjustment
Mechanism) is expected to play a central role in the comprehensive proposal.

If this mechanism is introduced, it may have a great impact on the world trade order and Japanese companies developing business related to the EU, including the viewpoint of consistency with WTO rules, and future movements are important.

In this webinar, the presenter Mr. Hurtado who was directly involved in the establishment of the bill at the Directorate General of Taxation and Customs of the European Commission will talk directly about the mechanism of CBAM, the introduction schedule and scope, coordination with related countries and international organizations such as WTO.

-Date and time: Wednesday 6 October 2021,16: 00-17: 00

-Languages: English and Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

-Program:
16: 00: Opening remarks
Philippe DE TAXIS DU POET
Managing Director, European side of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
16:00 to 16:40: Presentation
Vicente HURTADO ROA
Head of Unit of Indirect Taxes other than VAT in the DG TAXUD (Taxation and Customs Union),European Union
16: 40-17: 00 : Q & A / Discussion
Moderator: Yasuo TANABE
Managing Director, Japanese side of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

-Participation fee: Free

-Registration: This webinar will be held at ZOOM. Please register from the link as follows for participation.
ZOOM registration link

 

Leveraging Green Towards a Profitable and Sustainable Business – Managing Assets with ESG in Japan and Luxembourg (7 October)

The BLCCJ, together with the Luxembourg Embassy and Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office Tokyo, are honored to invite you to the following webinar with FinCity.Tokyo Chairman Hiroshi Nakaso and LuxFLAG Chairwoman Denise Voss:

As Japan’s Prime Minister announced ambitious targets of carbon neutrality by 2050 and a 46% reduction of the country’s carbon footprint by 2030, corporate Japan has stepped up its active stance in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters to catch up with their peers in Europe and the United States. Beyond the obvious reasons of social responsibility, companies across the world realize the positive financial outcomes of ESG investing: efforts in sustainability lead to actual business success and there is growing evidence that ESG-themed strategies boost returns.

But how can one invest profitably in Green and ESG-conscious companies?

After a welcome by H.E. Luxembourg Ambassador Pierre Ferring, the first speaker, Mr. Hiroshi NAKASO, Chairman of FinCity.Tokyo and formerly Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan, will present how Japan emphasizes asset management and the introduction of innovative strategies to make Tokyo a leading global financial city, and moreover how ESG fits in this picture.

The second speaker Ms. Denise VOSS, Chairwoman of LuxFLAG, the Luxembourg Finance Labelling Agency, will share the agency’s definition of Green and ESG, the approach/criteria to label ESG funds, how this labeling contributes to the growth of Luxembourg companies, and how Green in general can be profitable for your business.

Afterwards the speakers will gladly take your questions.

EVENT DETAILS
Thursday 7 October
16:00-17:00 Japan time
Presentations + Q&A in English
Free of charge for EBC members

If you are interested, please send an email to [email protected]  by 7 October.

 

EU-Japan Conference | Cities, regions, clusters: on the road to zero carbon (26-27 October 2021, EU-Japan Centre)

“Think global, act local”. In Japan and Europe, local stakeholders – clusters, cities, municipalities, regions, prefectures – are at the forefront of decarbonization. Building on a strong sense of ownership and belonging, local ecosystems are well placed to take and implement initiatives for the green transition. Connected with other local actors both at national and international level, they share experiences and learn from others, expanding the range and scope of their efforts.

Transport, construction, urban planning, local renewable energy, circularity of resources, citizens engagement… In all these key areas for the decarbonization of our economies and societies, Japanese and European regional clusters and local governments already take ambitious and innovative actions. Their efforts also expand to other sectors deeply connected to territories, such as agriculture or tourism.

What are the best practices in Europe and Japan? How do regional industrial clusters contribute to these efforts? What are the existing cooperation initiatives between Europe and Japan at the local level? How can national policies unlock local initiatives, and local initiatives inspire national policies? How can stakeholders from Japan and the EU further cooperate on these matters?

This online event will take the audience into a virtual tour of leading European and Japanese clusters, cities and regions on the pathway towards carbon neutrality.

Registrations: https://spipa-japan.net/?p=3813

The EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee launches a crowdfunding campaign

 

The EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee was established in 1992 to support the transnational activities of community members and artists involved in service of regional communities and social responsibility and to contribute to the development of healthy societies. It is a non-profit organisation.

The aim of their new crowdfunding campaign is to support artists from Japan who aims to play an active role in a wide range of activities around the world and to increase opportunities for European and Japanese youth to connect globally.

What’s in the Media

  • Japan to ease quarantine rules for the vaccinated (News on Japan)
  • Japan needs resilient economy to overcome new challenges: white paper (Kyodo News+)
  • Japan expected to see record number of M&A deals in 2021 (Japan Today)
  • EU to ease restrictions on food imports from Japan (The Japan Times)
  • Japanese firms look to paper products to reduce plastic waste (Japan Today)

Upcoming EBC Committee Meetings

Date Committee Time / Location
Sep 30 (Thursday) Human Resources Web
0900~
Oct 21 (Thursday) Medical Equipment & Diagnostics Committee Off-site
1430~
Oct 29 (Friday) Railways EBC & Web
1600~
Nov 18 (Thursday) Medical Equipment & Diagnostics Committee Off-site
1430~
Nov 25 (Thursday) Human Resources Web
0900~

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

EBC White Paper

The EBC published its annual document on the Japanese regulatory business environment last July.

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.

Stakeholders of the EBC:

European Business Council JAPAN
Sanbancho POULA Bldg. 2F, 6-7 Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075
102-0075東京都千代田区三番町6-7三番町POULAビル2F
TEL 03-3263-6222   |   FAX 03-3263-6223
www.ebc-jp.com/