PHILJEC Members Attend the 50th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand

November 12, 2024by secretariat in PHILJEC tagged , , ,

Led by Mr. Richard Albert I. Osmond, Chairman of the Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee, Inc., PHILJEC delegates attended the 50th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) held at The Okura Prestige in Bangkok, Thailand from November 6 to 8, 2024. This event marked a historic milestone in the partnership between ASEAN member countries and Japan. Under the theme “Building Resilient Partnerships for Sustainable Futures,” the meeting brought together prominent business leaders, and industry experts to engage in meaningful discussions and debates to explore critical issues affecting the region.

November 6 was reserved for the Steering Committee Meeting, and Welcome Reception for the Steering Committee Members which was held at the Hard Rock Café, Bangkok. The evening started with greetings and toast from Mr. Kalin Sarasin, the 50th AJBM Chairman and Honorary Chairman of the Thailand Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand. This was followed by a presentation on “Geopolitical Trends surrounding ASEAN and Japan’s Investment towards ASEAN” by Mr. SHIBATA Soichiro, Director of the Monitor Deloitte.

The conference officially began on November 7, with welcoming remarks from Mr. Sarasin. Subsequent remarks were delivered by Mr. HIRAKO Yuji, 50th AJBM Co-Chairman and Co-Chairperson of Japan-Asia Relations Committee of Keizai Doyukai; Mr. MIKE Kanetsugu, Vice Chairperson of Keizai Doyukai and Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of MUFG; and H. E. OTAKA Masato, Ambassador of Japan to Thailand. 

H. E. Mr. Akanat Promphan, Minister of Industry of Thailand delivered the keynote speech on “Strengthening ASEAN-Japan Cooperation for Economic Stability and Sustainability in the Digital Age.” This was followed by a presentation on “Strategic Partnerships: Exploring ASEAN-Japan Relations in a Dynamic Global Context” by Dr. Somkiat Tangkitvanich, President of Thailand Development Research Institute.

The first panel discussion moderated by Mr. Muhaymin Khan, Manager of YCP focused on Food Security. This panel addressed the urgent need for action to prevent food shortages in ASEAN nations. Panelists included:

  • Dr. Poj Aramwattananont, President & CEO, SeaValue Public Company Limited
  • Mr. SAKAKURA Ichiro, President, Ajinomoto Thailand
  • Mr. Salman Ghazali, Group Chief Strategy Officer, FGV Holdings Berhad

Shortly after the lunch break, the second panel discussion focusing on Tourism commenced. Moderated by Ms. Fei Yong, Manager of YCP, this panel highlighted the role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in preserving the tourism value chain. Panelists included:

  • Mrs. Suphajee Suthumpun, Group CEO, Dusit International
  • Mr. KITAGAWA Hiroyuki, President & CEO, JTB PTE Ltd.
  • Mr. KANDA Shinya, President & CEO of ANA X
  • Mr. Joydeep Chakraborty, Chief Strategy Officer, Traveloka

A brief discussion on Food Culture in Tourism followed, led by Associate Professor Jutamas Wisansing, PhD, Managing Director & Consultant at Perfect Link Consulting Group and Mr. Matthew John Knights, Chief Hospitality Group Officer, Asset World Corporation.

The third panel discussion focused on Mobility and was moderated by Mr. Nuttapan Meethong, Director of YCP. The panel addressed the growing challenge of air pollution and its impact on public health and urban living. Panelists included:

  • Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok
  • Mr. Prasanna Kumar Ganesh, Executive Vice President, Toyota Motor Asia
  • Mr. Yew Heng Lim, Group Managing Director, Grab Holdings

Following this, Keizai Doyukai and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) presented on HR Platform. Speakers for this session are:

  • Mr. HIRAKO Yuji, Co-Chairperson, Japan-Asia Relations Committee, Keizai Doyukai and Senior Advisor, ANA Holdings, Inc.
  • Mr. AIZAWA Nobuhiro, Dean and Managing Director, ERIA’s School of Government
  • Mr. WATANABE Kazufumi, Group CXO, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, SOMPO Holdings, Inc.

H. E. KIYA Masahiko, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN served as respondent.

The conference concluded with closing remarks from Mr. IMAI Seiji, Co-Chairperson of Japan-Asia Relations Committee of Keizai Doyukai and Chairman, Member of the Board of Directors of Mizuho Financial Group.

Several Thai and Japanese media were invited to a press conference after the meeting.

Discussions are compiled into a whitepaper which can be accessed through the link below.

Links:

50th AJBM Materials

Virtual Conference: 47th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting

April 18, 2022by secretariat in PHILJEC tagged , , ,

The 47th ASEAN-JAPAN Business Meeting (AJBM) hosted by The Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee (PHILJEC) and by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), was held last March 10, 2022, through an online webinar platform. A total of 261 attended the Meeting. The theme is as follows: Beyond COVID-19: Envisioning the Future with Digitalisation in ASEAN and Japan.

The opening ceremony began with the welcoming remarks by Mr. Gerard B Sanvictores, Chairman of AJBM Philippines as well as by Mr. Kengo Sakurada, Chairman of Keizai Doyukai. Following this were the guest remarks, keynote speech, and introduction given by H.E Mr. Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines; H.E. Mr. Ramon M. Lopez, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; and Mr. Nobuhide Hayashi, Chairman of AJBM Japan and former Chairman of Mizuho Bank, Ltd., respectively.

Following the opening ceremony, the first plenary session started with the topic of “Living with Corona”, where the esteemed speakers focused on building a socioeconomic system suitable for living with Corona. The moderator for this session was Mr. Shazali Sulaiman, the founder, and partner of Shazali and Partners. The panelists are as follows:

  • H.E. Dr. Mahendra Siregar, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Indonesia 
  • Mr. Jose Ma. A Concepcion III, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship & Go Negosyo Founder, Philippines
  • Mr. Takuya Shimamura, Director, Chairman, AGC Inc., Japan

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The plenary session 2 followed with the topic centered on “Responding to Climate Change: Renewable Energy and Green Businesses”. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Patrick Tang from Singapore under the Mobile & Connectivity Partnerships and META. Esteemed speakers for this session are as follows:

  • Mr. Francis Giles B. Puno, President for First Gen Corporation, Philippines
  • Mr. Luke Tay, Independent Futurist, Strategist, & Food Systems Advocate, Singapore Futures Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School Executive Education programme
  • Mr. Yosuke Kiminami, Founding CEO, RENOVA Inc., Japan

Shortly after the plenary session 2, plenary session 3 with the topic entitled “Start-up & Innovation: Paving the Way to the New Normal through digitalisation” moderated by Mr. Masahito Honma, the General Partner of Incubate Fund Co., Ltd. has started. The discussion was conducted by CEOs from different companies across the ASEAN, these esteemed speakers are:

  • Mr. Supachai Kid Parchariyanon, CEO & Co-Founder, RISE, Thailand
  • Mr. Mohd Atasha Alias, CEO & Co-Founder, Vuoz.io, Malaysia
  • Ms. Stephanie Sy, CEO, Thinking Machines, Philippines
  • Mr. Teppei Sakano, Representative Director / CEO, Allm Inc., Japan

In conclusion of the event, the Chairmen of AJBM Philippines and AJBM Japan, Mr. Gerard Sanvictores and Mr. Nobuhide Hayashi, respectively, delivered their closing remarks. Finally, Mr. Yuji Hirako, Chairman of AJBM Japan and President & CEO of All Nippon Airways, Co., Ltd., informed the body that he is looking forward to welcoming everyone at the 48th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting in Japan at a date and venue to be advised in due time.

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