PHILJEC and PJS representatives participated in the 46th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) last March 17, 2021 held in an online webinar platform. This year’s meeting will be the first time to be conducted online. The conference was supposed to be held last November 2020, but due to the Pandemic COVID-19, AJBM was postponed and was held online.
The 46th AJBM was hosted by Malaysia – Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) and by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), with the theme: “The New Relationship between ASEAN and Japan in the “New Normal” post COVID-19”.
The meeting started with the Steering Committee Meeting. Panelists, moderators and leaders of ASEAN and Japan Chapters exchanged greetings and briefly discussed the current news and trends in their country.
The opening session was moderated by Mr. Nobuhide Hayashi, Co-Chairman of 46th AJBM. Mr. Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Chairman of 46th AJBM and Mr. Kengo Sakurada of Keizai Doyukai delivered their welcome greetings and speeches. Two keynote speakers presented their speeches, H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN and Mr. Takehiko Nakao, Former President, the Asian Development Bank.
Shortly after the opening session, the first plenary session focuses on the New opportunities in the “new normal”: New industry & business possibilities responding to social challenges. It was moderated by Mr. Datuk Seri Iqbal. The panelists are as follow:
- Dr. Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman, NEC Corporation
- Mr. Fernando Zobel de Ayala, President, Ayala Corporation
- Mr. Taro Shimada, Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, Toshiba Corporation
- Mr. Patrick Tang, Vice President, APAC, SIGOS Post COVID19 – the case for shifting to digital sales channels
After the Networking session, continuing to plenary session 2. On this plenary session, the discussion about “Rebuilding the value chain in Asia during/after COVID19” lead by Mr Shazali Sulaiman. Sub-topics were discussed as follows:
- Japanese companies’ value chain strategy in Asia
- Mr. Hiroki Totoki, Executive Deputy President & CFO, Sony Corporation
- Mr. Joji Tagawa, Senior vice president & Chief sustainability officer, Nissan Motor Corporation
- New regional strategy of ASEAN companies
- Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Non-Independent Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Group Berhad
- Mr. Kettivit Sittisoontornwong, CEO, LEO Global Logistics Public Company Limited
Several Breakout Sessions were held after session 2. Reverting back to Plenary Session 3, seven speakers presented their ideas on the following topics:
Co-creating innovation for overcoming social issues (pitching session)
- Supporting the resilience of society (infrastructure, disaster prevention)
- Supplying sustainable energy (renewable energy)
- Enhancing social inclusion & access to opportunities (finance, fintech)
- Supporting people’s health and well-being (medical/healthcare)
Moderated by Mr. Naoaki Mashita, the speakers of this session are:
- Mr. Goh Peng Ooi, Chairman, Silverlake Axis Sdn Bhd: Digitalisation’s Role in RCEP
- Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, Executive Director, National Innovation Agency of Thailand: Japan and Thailand Innovation Diplomacy
- Dr. Anand Prasad, Founder & CEO, wenovator: 5G Era Cybersecurity: Holistic Security for a Connected Society
- Mr. Yoshinobu Osaka, Member of the Board, Director of Challenergy Inc.: renewable energy (Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine)
- Dr. Tatsuhiro Nomaguchi, Manager, International Business Department, Metabologenomics, Inc. and President CEO, Metagen Singapore Pte. Ltd.: health (Gut Design for Stratified Health Care)
- Mr. Ryuhei Sadoshima, CEO and Founder of Safie Inc.: Infrastructure (Cloud-Recording system)
- Mr. Yoshitaka Yamamuro, Director, Asia Digital Transformation Policy Office Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
Following the traditional wrap-up of AJBM, a short speech from the Chairman of the next hosting country was delivered. Mr. Gerard B. Sanvictores, Chairman of the Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee, Inc. (PHILJEC) acceptance speech for the 47th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting which will be held on 2022 – hoping of an in-person conference by that time.
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