Prime Minister Kishida Receives the ABAC 2021 Report to APEC Economic Leaders

ABAC is APEC's official private-sector advisory entity, established in 1996. Representing business sectors in the Asia-Pacific region, it annually releases the ABAC Report to APEC Economic Leaders. ABAC members consist of representatives of the business sectors of 21 APEC member economies and are appointed by respective leaders. From Japan, three members and two alternate members are appointed by the prime minister.

On November 11, 2021, the Japanese members of ABAC visited Prime Minister Kishida and directly handed him the ABAC 2021 report.

Key points of the ABAC 2021 report (see the Appendix to the ABAC Japan press release below)

• Regional economic integration (e.g., reopening of borders for safe and seamless travel; support for the WTO and resisting protectionism; progress towards the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific [FTAAP])
• Sustainability (e.g., achieve carbon neutrality and energy resilience through investment and trade in renewable energy and in low emissions technologies)
• Inclusion (e.g., promoting women's participation in the digital economy; facilitating greater gender inclusion; building MSME (Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) capabilities)
• Digital (e.g., creating an enabling environment for more digital MSMEs; interoperability of digital systems for trade and supply chain connectivity)
• Economy (e.g., post-COVID recovery; significant structural reforms; disaster risk management)

METI will steadily work on these issues highlighted in the report.

• Appendix: ABAC Japan press release (in Japanese) (PDF:4,501KB)

Division in Charge

APEC Office, Trade Policy Bureau