INVEST JAPAN Forum 2016 Held

In the Japan Revitalization Strategy, the government of Japan set the goal for the total direct investment balance into Japan at 35 trillion yen in 2020, and has been encouraging overseas companies to invest further in Japan. To achieve the goal, the forum communicated Japan’s current, proactive efforts to attract overseas companies and also introduced the efforts and support made available by the government of Japan and other entities, Japan’s successful case examples and attractive features as a business operation site in an aim to foster the domestic momentum for attracting direct investment in Japan.

1) Opening remarks

At the beginning of the forum, Mr. Toshinao Nakagawa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, delivered opening remarks as a representative of the various organizers. He stated that both foreign direct investment in Japan and utilization of oversea countries’ superior business resources are indispensable for economic growth in Japan and that as the Abenomics policies have been improving the investment environment, Japan will continue to advance working style, regulatory and administrative procedural reform, aiming to achieve the goal of Japan as the most business-friendly country in the world. Furthermore, he also communicated that Japan will promote efforts for encouraging innovation toward the fourth industrial revolution, and called on the participants for investment in Japan.

2) Speeches

Representatives from a variety of sectors delivered speeches, including representatives from overseas companies developing business in Japan, a prominent researcher in Japan, the head of a municipality, and chairpersons of JETRO and the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN (SME Support, JAPAN), introducing Japan’s attractive features as an investment target from a variety of standpoints and experiences.

Speakers (in the order of speeches delivered)

• Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, Chairman & CEO, JETRO
• Mr. Tommy Leong, Zone President, East Asia & Japan, Schneider Electric
• Mr. Alain Combier, Vice President, North East Asia Cluster, Air Liquide Group
• Mr. Koichi Tanaka, Senior Fellow, Shimadzu Corporation
• Ms. Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo
• Mr. Hiroshi Takada, Chairman & CEO, SME Support, JAPAN

3) Talk session

Focusing on the topic “Factors for Success in Alliances between Foreign Enterprises and Japanese Small/Medium Sized Enterprises,” the forum introduced cases of collaboration between Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd. and Boeing International and between Fuji Industrial Technique Co., Ltd. and Atlas Copco KK Japan. In addition, a talk session was held, with the representatives from these companies as panelists.

Panelists

• Mr. Hiroyuki Hagimoto, CEO & Chairman, Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd.
• Mr. Brett C. Gerry, President, Boeing Japan
• Mr. Kotoku Fujiwara, General Manager, Fuji Industrial Technique Co., Ltd.
• Mr. Thomas Östergren, Representative Director, Atlas Copco KK Japan

4) Reception

A reception was held as a business-matching and networking opportunity for participants in the forum, including decision makers in charge of investment in overseas companies and those developing business in Japan, business operators of domestic mid-ranking companies and SMEs that are interested in collaboration with overseas companies, and related officials from municipalities engaged in efforts to attract overseas companies. Mr. Motome Takisawa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered opening remarks to begin the reception.

Date and time:

October 7 (Fri.), 2016

Forum:

13:00-16:20; Reception: 16:30-18:30

Venue:

Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo

Organizer:

Nikkei Inc.

Co-organizers:

METI, CAO, MOFA, and JETRO

October 11, 2016

Trade and Investment Facilitation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau