Press Conference by Minister Saito (Excerpt)

*Note: This is a provisional translation for reference purposes only.

9:39 to 9:50 a.m.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Press Conference Room, METI Main Building

Question-and-Answer Session

Partnership between Nissan and Honda

Q: Nissan and Honda announced that they will conduct a study on a partnership in the EV field. It has been pointed out that in this field, Japan is lagging far behind China. What do you think of moves like this in Japan?

A: Nissan and Honda announced that they will start a study on a strategic partnership on vehicle electrification and intelligence. At a time when the competitive environment surrounding the automobile industry is changing very drastically, continuing to make forward-looking efforts in response to such changes is important for surviving international competition.
This announcement relates to a matter for the specific companies, and I understand that first of all, the companies that are involved will address the matter internally. For my part, I regard this as a proactive, bold effort to respond to change, and I hope that it will rapidly lead to concrete initiatives.