EU-Japan Open Dialogue on corporate sustainability due diligence -- EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive 

Co-organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry / Delegation of the European Union to Japan / EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

Thursday, October 24 17:00-18:20 Tokyo (10:00-11:20 Brussels)
(With English-Japanese Simultaneous Interpretation / Free event)

There is growing interest in how respect for human rights can be ensured in business activities. In Japan, the Government of Japan has issued cross-industry guidelines on human rights due diligence, based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration). Through its dissemination, Japan strives to raise industry awareness and promote corporate efforts.

Meanwhile, in the EU, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD), a framework for mandatory sustainability due diligence which to a large extent aligns with these international frameworks, was adopted on 24 May 2024 and came into force on 25 July 2024. EU Member States will have two years to transpose the Directive into their national legislation. Some Japanese companies, namely those generating significant turnover in the EU, will also need to comply with these new requirements. Also, companies not directly within the scope of the Directive might be indirectly impacted as business partners in the supply chains of companies that are in scope.

In this webinar, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will share Japan’s efforts on business and human rights, while the European Commission will provide an overview of the CSDDD and its implementation, including the development of guidelines, and its impacts on foreign and Japanese companies. In addition, a panel discussion will be held, bringing together representatives from the European Commission, Japanese and European industry associations, and other relevant experts to explore the industrial sector’s responses and challenge. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session addressing specific and practical questions from the participants. Please note that while the CSDDD covers both environmental and human rights aspects, the panel discussion and Q&A session will focus on human rights.

Please register for the event via the ZOOM registration link below.

Agenda

17:00 -17:05 (10:00 -10:05)  Opening remarks
-    Manuel Hubert, Managing Director European Side, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

17:05-17:10 (10:05 -10:10)  Japan’s Presentation
-    Motoko Ogawa, Director, Business and Human Rights Policy Office, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and industry

17:10-17:25 (10:10 -10:25)  EU’s Presentation
-    Ralf Sauer, Deputy Head of Company Law and Corporate Governance Unit, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission

17:25-18:05 (10:25-11:05)  Panel discussion
Moderator：Motoko Ogawa, Director, Business and Human Rights Policy Office, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and industry
Panelists：
-    Ralf Sauer, Deputy Head of Company Law and Corporate Governance Unit, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission 
-    Yukako Kinoshita, Vice Chair of Corporate Sustainability Committee, Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE)   
-    Hideaki Umetsu, Partner, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
-    Ruben Zandvliet, Deputy Director, Shift

18:05-18:15 (11:05-11:15)  Q&A session
-    Moderator: Motoko Ogawa, Director, Business and Human Rights Policy Office, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and industry

18:15-18:20 (11:15-11:20)  Closing remarks
-    Christophe Besse, Minister Counsellor, Delegation of the European Union to Japan

-        MC: Yasuo Tanabe, Managing Director Japan Side, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

Registration: This webinar will be held on ZOOM. Please register from this ZOOM link to join.

Q&A: Registrants can enter questions in the Questions & Comments section of the registration screen.  Due to time constraint, it may be difficult to answer all questions.  Thank you for your understanding.