The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement - How to Revolutionize our Industries by Strong Digital Cooperation seminar at the Global Industrie 2018 trade fair in Paris looked at how the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and closer EU-Japan digital cooperation will bring short and long-term tangible economic and social benefits to both the EU and Japan and can provide inspiration and standards for the rest of the world to follow. With Japan and the EU facing similar challenges, concerns, values and strategies this event addressed key issues affecting businesses now and in the future. The event included the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of IoT to provide a basis for future France-Japan industrial cooperation in the field of IoT. An event report is available.

The event addressed four issues:

• The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
• France-Japan and EU-Japan cooperation in the digital sphere
• Industries' priorities for digital issues
• Signature of a Memorandum of Understanding

It included:

• Opening remarks by H.E. Masato Kitera (Japanese Ambassador to France)
• Keynote speeches by Xavier Merlin (Director-General for Territorial, European and International affairs at Direction Générale des Entreprises, French Ministry of Economy and Finance) and by Hiroshi Oikawa (Director-General at Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
• Views of industry from Grégory Bouchery (Control and Signaling - launch leader at SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC and International Development Manager at "Alliance Industrie du Futur") and Alexis Van (Chief Technologist at AI Center for Excellence, FUJITSU)
• EU keynote speeches by Marco Chirullo (Deputy Chief Negotiator on EU-Japan EPA at DG TRADE, European Commission) and Tonnie de Koster (Advisor for Digital Single Market International Outreach at DG CONNECT, European Commission)
• A panel discussion moderated by Sandra Alvera (Chair, Digital Trade Policy Committee, DIGITALEUROPE) with Yannick Leprêtre (Director of Digital and Innovation at FIVES and co-Pilot of the  'Vitrines de l'Alliance Industrie du Futur' working group), Greg Kinsey (Vice President of Digital Industrial Solutions at HITACHI Vantara), Jean-François Sencerin (Autonomous Driving Director at Filière automobile France & Nouvelle France industrielle, NFI) and Antoine Larpin (Digital Innovation Committee Vice-Chair at Japan Business Council in Europe).
• A closing saké and sushi reception courtesy of JETRO

with the support of

organised the event for the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)