Seminars

Date: Wednesday, 20 November 2009, 09:00 – 17:50
Venue: Hotel New Otani, Tokyo “ Orizuru Mai” in the main building, Tokyo, Japan

Organised by: Delegation of the European Commission to Japan; EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation; EURAXESS-Links/Japan (Network of European Researchers in Japan)

Participation: Free
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Objective: Help highly-skilled European researchers and students in the development of their research activities, studies and careers through informing and connecting them with European and Japanese public research and funding organisations, as well as with Europe or Japan based companies.
Featuring presentations on:
European Research & Fellowships including: DAAD, UK Embassy, Embassy of France, CNRS
Japanese Research & Funding Opportunities including: RIKEN, AIST, JSPS, JST, NEDO, NICT, Tokai University
Industrial Opportunities including: Tokyo Institute of Technology, Panasonic, NTT, Fujitsu, Omron
With a special round-table discussion from experienced researchers.

Programme

Overview:
On Friday 20 November 2009, the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, the Delegation of the European Commission to Japan and EURAXESS-Links/Japan (Network of European Researchers in Japan) co-organised in Tokyo a full-day event entitled “Funding and Career Opportunities Fair for European Researchers and Students”. The main objective was to help highly-skilled European researchers and students in the development of their research activities, studies and career through informing them about the European and Japanese public research and funding opportunities (e.g FP7, funding schemes by Member States, Japanese funding schemes open to non-Japanese researchers) and career opportunities in public research organisations as well as in industry.

The key public research and funding organisations in Japan, as well as recruitment managers from four Japanese companies (Panasonic, Fujitsu, NTT Communication, Omron), presented their programmes, opportunities for foreign researchers and recruitment procedures. The event also introduced actual experience of European researchers for obtaining public fundings and working in Japanese industry, including the stories of two Vulcanus in Japan alumni.

The event was attended by over 150 people and followed by a reception to facilitate networking among European researchers and research and funding organisations of both regions. The full programme and presentations will be available on the EC Delegation’s website shortly.

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

European Public Research and Funding Opportunities session - Dr. Barbara Rhode (EU Delegation) Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	European Public Research and Funding Opportunities session - Speaker from AIST Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	European Public Research and Funding Opportunities session - Speaker from Panasonic Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009
European Public Research and Funding Opportunities session - Q&A Session Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Japanese Public Research and Funding Opportunities II - Experienced researchers session - Speaker Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Reception Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Date: Wednesday, 18 November 2009, 10:00 - 12:30
Venue: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan
Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation Tokyo, Japan
Supported by: The European Business Council in Japan & The Delegation of the European Commission to Japan
Participation: Free (Registration required)
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Overview:

After various food scandals which made newspaper headlines during the past years, the new Japanese government is willing today, as outlined in the DPJ Manifesto, to revise the existing administrative structure for food safety.

In the EU, the past 20 years have seen steady progress in this area. The creation of the Single Market in 1993 required national rules to be harmonised in order to ensure consistent high standards in the production, transport and sale of food across Europe. At the same time, the BSE problem (mad cow disease) raised public concern about food safety and consumer protection.

In 2002, the General Food Law Regulation entered into force which laid down the fundamental principles for food safety, with the “Farm to Fork” approach, creating the European Food Safety Authority, which supervises the entire food chain and provides solid scientific base for European Food Safety policies and legislation. Labelling and Traceability systems are now compulsory to all operators.

New developments in the sector (GMO, etc.) require a constant legal adaptation and a major revision of legislations for food and feed safety was made in 2006. Today in the EU market, all enterprises involved in food and feed sector, from producers, manufacturers, retailers to caterers, are required to be responsible for meeting the EU safety requirements for food and feed.

In this seminar, European speakers from both public and private sectors introduced the Food Safety System in the EU. The seminar was also joined by a speaker from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare to present the current recent developments in the food safety administration in Japan.

Report: Promoting Safety of Food from Farm to Fork: Food Safety Administration in the EU and Japan

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Mr. Ichiro Fujita, Deputy Director, Policy Planning & Communication Division, Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009
Mr. Patrick Deboyser, Minister-Counsellor (Health & Food Safety), Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Mr. Duco Delgorge, Vice-Chairman, European Business Council in Japan / President, MIE Project Co., Ltd. Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2009, 14:30 -- 17:00
Venue: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan
Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation Tokyo, Japan
Participation: Free (Registration required)
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Overview:
The outbreak of the novel flu was one of the seminal events of this year. Authorities in both Japan and the EU had to balance on the one hand the need to safeguard public health and on the other hand the need not to unnecessarily restrict economic activity. This required a delicate act of fine-tuning that was not easy to accomplish. Air transport in particular was a case in point. Aviation is key to the global economy and at the same time some see it as a vehicle for the flu to travel. Public reactions in the international community countries differed widely. Some called for serious restrictions, some argued border measures would be ineffective and others emphasised the safety of air travel.

This seminar brought speakers from both the public and the private sector to discuss the lessons learnt from earlier this year and to reflect on the measures (not) to take in the event of a new outbreak.
Intervention on the European side was made by Mr. Denis Coulombier, Head of Unit for Preparedness and Response of the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which was established in 2005 in Stockholm and aims to strengthen Europe’s defences against infectious diseases.

Report: Novel Flu and the Travel Sector: Policy reactions in the EU and Japan

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Mr. Denis Coulombier, Head of Unit for Preparedness and Response of the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Mr. Otto Benz, Chair of the European Business Council’s Airlines committee and General Manager of Lufthansa Japan Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009
Mr. Shoichi Gonda, Chair of JATA Security and Safety Sub-committee (Japan Association of Travel Agents) / General Manager of Overseas Travel Department Global Marketing, Headquarters Executive Officer, Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd. Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Mr. Koji Wada, Committee member of the National Advisory Board for Pandemic flu, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare / Junior Associate Professor of Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Kitasato University School of Medicine Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Date: Monday, 5 October 2009, 10:30 -- 12:30
Venue: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan
Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation Tokyo, Japan
Participation: Free (Registration required)
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Overview:
Guided by the Lisbon Partnership for Growth and Jobs, the EU has since 2005 worked to improve framework conditions for innovation. In 2006 an ambitious European innovation policy, Broad-based innovation strategy, has been launched with ten priority actions to facilitate industry-led innovation (e.g. lead markets initiative) and to create the conditions for a successful market uptake of innovative products and services in areas such as e-health, eco-innovation and eco-construction.

On 2 September the European Commission issued a Communication on “Reviewing Community innovation in a changing world”, to reflect on the current EU innovation policy and to prepare for building more synergies between actors of the innovation process. Based on the analysis of achievements so far and the lessons learnt, the Commission announced its intension to explore the feasibility of a European Innovation Act, encompassing all the conditions for sustainable development and strengthening the partnership approach in innovation as an integral part of the future European reform agenda beyond 2010.

In this seminar, Mr Carsten Schierenbeck, Policy Officer from the Directorate-General for Enterprise & Industry of the European Commission, presented the recent developments in discussing new policy framework for fostering an innovative and competitive Europe.

The seminar was also joined by a speaker from the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, who introduced the activity of this newly-established (in July 2009) public-private partnership to promote open innovation in Japan.

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Presentation by Mr. Carsten Schierenbeck, Policy Officer, Support for Innovation Unit, Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Presentation by Mr. Naohiro Kaji, Director, Innovation Network Corporation of Japan Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009
Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Q&A Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009	Q&A Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Policy Framework for Driving Innovation: Recent Developments in the EU and Japan

Date: Tuesday, 8 September 2009, 17:00 - 19:000
Venue: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan

Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation Tokyo, Japan
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Presentation by Mr Kiyoshi Washida, Cosmetics Officer, Evaluation & Licensing Division, Pharmaceutical & Food Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Mr Laurent Sellès, Deputy Head of the Cosmetic & Medical Devices Unit, Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Cosmetics Regulation in the EU and Japan

Date: Friday 24 April 2009, 15:00 – 17:00
Venue: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan

Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Supported by: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Overview:
The automotive industry is a key sector in Europe and in Japan: The EU is the largest automotive production region (34%) in the world and the industry accounts for 7.5 % of all EU manufacturing. Direct employment by the automotive industry stands at about 2 million employees, while the total employment effect (direct and indirect) is estimated to be about 10 million. Japan positions itself as the second automotive producer in the world and the industry is currently the biggest employer in the country (accounting for 4.9 million direct and indirect jobs).

Once a symbol of social and industrial development, the automotive industry is now facing a multitude of severe challenges: fight against climate change, oil price volatility and the financial and economic crisis that has caused a significant decline in demand and, therefore, jobs. Considered as a vital sector for growth and competitiveness both in the EU and Japan, the automotive industry figures prominently on the political agendas of both the European Commission and the Japanese Government.

In this seminar, Mr. Philippe Jean, Head of the Automotive Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise & Industry, presented the European automotive policy and strategy for promoting job security in the sector and for providing green and affordable cars to consumers.
Mr. Jean's presentation

The other keynote speaker was Mr. Akira Matsunaga, Director of the Automotive Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry. He explained how Japan sees the impact of the economic crisis on its automotive industry as well as METI’s strategy for promoting the diffusion of next generation cars to meet today’s energy and environment challenges.
Mr. Matsunaga's presentation

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Presentation by Mr Philippe Jean, Head of the Automotive Unit, Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Mr Akira Matsunaga, Director, Automotive Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Question from audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Economic & Environmental Challenges for the Automotive Industry in the EU and Japan

Date: Monday 06 April 2009, 14:30 – 16:00
Venue: Todofuken Kaikan Hall (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

Co-organised by: Delegation of the European Commission to Japan, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and The Delegation of the European Commission to Japan
With Support of: Cabinet Office (tbc) , Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Language: English/Japanese (simultaneous interpretation)
Registration fee: Free

Overview:
Commissioner Hübner is in charge of regional policy at the European Commission. Regional policy is a key EU policy which aims at fostering EU cohesion and securing development for all EU regions. For the period 2007 – 2013, the budget for regional policy accounts for 348 billion EUR (over 35% of the total EU budget). A significant emphasis is given to research and innovation, which are becoming increasingly important to ensure sustainable economic growth of regions.

Following Commissioner Hübner keynote speech, Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, Vice-Minister for International Affairs of the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry, Mr. Masahiro Nakajima，Secretary General for Regional Revitalization Bureau of the Cabinet Secretariat, and Mr. Takashi Shiraishi, Member of the Council for Science and Technology Policy, talked about the policies and initiatives to revitalize Japanese regions in today’s economic situation.

Programme:

14:30	Opening remarks by Ambassador Hugh Richardson, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Japan
European perspective
14:35 -15:05	Keynote speech by Professor Danuta Hübner*, Member of the European Commission in charge of Regional Policy
Japanese perspective
15:05 – 15:20	Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
15:20 – 15:35	Mr. Masahiro Nakajima，Secretary General Regional Revitalization Bureau, Cabinet Secretariat
15:35 – 15:45	Professor Takashi Shiraishi, Member of the Council for Science and Technology Policy
15:45 – 16:00	Q&A (with all speakers)
16:00	Closing remarks by Mr. Julien Guerrier, General Manager, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial cooperation
Keynote Speaker:	*Dr. Danuta Hübner was appointed as a member of the European Commission in 2004 when Poland joined the European Union. Prior to joining the European Commission, she held such political positions as Polish Minister for European Affairs (03-04), Head of Office of the Committee for European Integration and Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland (01 – 03), the United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary for UNECE (2000-2001) and the Minister Head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland (97-98). Keynote speech by Dr. Hübner

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Presentation by Professor Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Commission in charge of Regional Policy Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Audience Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Towards EU-Japan Cooperation in Regional Policies: Foster Investment in Innovative Regions

Date: Tuesday 10 March 2009, 14:30 – 18:00 + Cocktail 18:00 – 19:00
Venue: Hotel Westin Tokyo, Star Room (Tokyo)

Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and The Delegation of the European Commission to Japan

Overview:
The EU Merger Regulation was adopted in 1989, and took effect the following year. During its relatively short 20-year history, there has been a wide range of controversies, among other things with respect to judicial review by the European Court of Justice, the substantive test in the light of which mergers are reviewed, and the rules governing the methods and procedures for determining whether a given transaction is compatible with EU competition law, leading to a revision of the Regulation in 2004.

The objective of merger review in the EU is to ensure that competition is maintained in the common market. The target of the EU merger control is a merger with a “Community Dimension,” which is determined by the size of the aggregate sales of the parties involved at worldwide level and the parties’ sales in the EU. This is particularly striking in the case of joint ventures, where, for example, a jointly-owned company set up by two large Japanese multinationals with operations in Japan or Asia only, could be subject to pre-merger control in the EU. What happens in cases of corporate acquisition by funds? In view of the widespread global economic activities and corporate restructuring in recent years, it is thus essential for Japanese companies to take into account how the EU Merger Regulation is applied. It is important for these companies to keep this in mind not only when they are parties in the mergers in question, but also because they may be adversely affected, either as customers or competitors, by such global-scale mergers.

On 10 March 2009, the Delegation of the European Commission to Japan and the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation co-organised a seminar entitled “Global economic activities and EU merger regulation: Legal and Economic Analyses” and invited experts from Europe and Japan, to discuss issues of interest to Japanese business.

The seminar examined how the EU merger review is conducted, how the “relevant market” is determined and what measures are likely to be taken in the event a transaction raises serious doubts as to its compatibility with EC competition law, with regard to those transactions on a global scale. It attempted to clarify, in particular, so-called “extraterritorial application”, the notion and treatment of a corporate group, and the timeframe within which the merger review process is conducted. The seminar topic also included such questions as standard of proof, one-stop shop control and issues of the EC filing in reality, especially in relation to the filings by Member States as well as its relation to trends in recent merger notifications in the world.

The Commission has undertaken efforts to make a number of improvements to the system. Through notices and other types of guidelines, the Commission has provided detailed explanations of the analytical framework underlying the merger review process, and clarified the details of its analysis criteria. Since 2003, the Commission also has a Chief Economist, assisted by a team of about 20 PhD economists, whose role it is to ensure that merger review is based on sound economic principles and to protect consumers’ interests more effectively. Economists now play a central role in the analysis of the vast majority of complex mergers. The increasing use of economic analysis in merger control is also supported by judgments of the Court of First Instance and the European Court of Justice, and economic principles have been incorporated in the guidelines and notices issued by the Commission.

Today, the Commission continues to consider the means to render its merger control procedures more effective and transparent. What should be these means, when global financial markets are going through instability?

Programme:
Moderator: Prof. Hiroko YAMANE, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Opening Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Mr. Guillaume LORIOT, Head of Unit, Antitrust and Merger case support, DG Competition, European Commission Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Panelists Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Global Economic Activities and EU Merger Regulation: Legal and Economic Analyses

Date: Thursday 25 February 2009, 18:30 – 19:45
Venue: Hotel Grand Ark Hanzomon, 4th floor, Fuji East Room (Address: 1-1 Hayabusa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Supported by: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (tbc)

Overview:
Controversies about openness to foreign investment have marked the European Union since its very inception. The creation of a single market for goods, services, labor and capital is all about the removal of barriers at the borders. But European nations also keep ambivalent attitudes to foreign investment, be it cross-border industrial takeovers or financial investments by often foreign-controlled private equity or hedge funds.

The financial crisis is exacerbating the tension between the need for cash and the sensitivity about foreign capital, which was graphically illustrated by discussions in 2007-08 about the emergence of sovereign wealth funds. Will the crisis lead the World to a new brand of investment protectionism?

In this seminar, two prominent speakers from Europe and Japan presented their insights on these topics.

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Opening Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Mr. Véron, Research fellow, Bruegel Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Dr. Wakasugi, Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Impact of Financial Crisis on Trade & Investment

Date: Thursday 5 February 2009, 15:00 – 17:15
Venue: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (Tokyo Office)

Organised by: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Supported by: Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation

Overview:
“Lack of successor” was the reason for 70,000 Japanese enterprises to close down, out of 290,000 business failures in Japan during 2006. The percentage of businesses transferred to family members is constantly decreasing, shifting from over 90% in 1986 to 60% in 2006 (White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan, 2006). As over 99% of enterprises in Japan are SMEs, supporting successful business transfers of SMEs is an important policy priority to prevent businesses with competitive technologies and know-how from disappearing. In this context, a new legislation to support SMEs business transfers was introduced in Japan in October 2008.

Similarly in Europe, about one third of business failures are said to occur in the context of a business transfer. Given that, in the next decade, up to 690,000 businesses (providing 2.8 million jobs) will have to be transferred each year, the European Commission is encouraging Member States to improve the conditions for business transfers, through such measures as administrative simplification, effective tax reductions and easier access to financial support for the takeover of a business.

In this seminar, speakers from the European Commission and Japan’s Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation introduced the EU and Japanese policies for supporting the successful transfer of Small & Medium Enterprises. The seminar was also joined by a speaker from the French Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment to introduce the case of one EU Member States (France).

Programme:

Pictures of the event. Click on a thumbnail to zoom in.

Presentation by Mr. Guerrier, Counselor, Delegation of the European Commission to Japan Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Mr. Masami Oyama, Chief Business Succession Coordinator, Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Presentation by Ms. Gras, Head of Department, Deputy Director, Directorate of Commerce, Craftsmanship, Services and Regulated Professions, French Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Employment Photo © EU-Japan Centre, 2009

Report: Transfer of Small & Medium Enterprises in the EU and Japan

Press cutting: Transfer of Small & Medium Enterprises in the EU and Japan