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Chairman Suzuki hosts 25th UK-Japan Business Partnership Seminar

On 30 October 2023, the 25th UK-Japan Business Partnership Seminar was jointly organised with the Japan Foreign Trade Council (JFTC), which is also a member of the BMC, as a hybrid event in the JFTC conference room. Around 60 members and interested parties attended the seminar at the venue and online.

This year's theme was 'The potential for third country cooperation between the UK and Japan following the UK's participation in the CPTPP', in response to the UK's signing of the Protocol on 16 July this year in New Zealand on joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). On 26 October, the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, visited Japan and on 28 October Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan the Department for Business and Trade of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Critical Minerals was signed with Minister Nishimura in Osaka under the 'UK-Japan Strategic Economic and Trade Policy Dialogue'. The seminar was held at a timely moment, as the UK-Japan relationship is about to enter a new era.

After the opening address by Mr Suzuki, Chairman of the BMC, and a speech by Mr Darren Goff, Minister Counsellor, British Embassy in Tokyo, Mr Yamagishi, Deputy Director, Economic Partnership Division, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, gave a lecture on the theme of "Future UK-Japan cooperation" from a Japanese perspective. The lecture covered the UK's accession procedures to the CPTPP, the benefits for Japan and the UK, the direction of UK-Japan cooperation and trends towards third country cooperation. Next, Mr Asai, Chief Executive Officer, Japan of Standard Chartered Bank, a member of the BMC, gave a presentation on financial cooperation in third countries, explaining the benefits of UK export credit, specific examples of financing projects in third countries using export credit from both countries, and areas of cooperation between the two countries in diversifying supply chains in the future.
The third speaker, Katherine Merryweather, Country Partner Manager, Department for Business and Trade, UK, gave an online presentation on UK-Japan collaboration from the UK perspective. She explained third-country cooperation between the UK and Japan, citing specific examples in offshore wind power, smart cities, urbanisation and sustainable transport, and drawing on the respective strengths of the UK and Japan. There was a lively Q&A session with each speaker, in particular discussing mechanisms for the creation of third country cooperation projects for the future expansion of cooperation.

At the reception following the lecture, Mr Higuchi, Vice Chairman of the BMC and President of MIPRO, gave a speech, and Mr Kawazu, Executive Managing Director of the Japan Foreign Trade Council, which co-hosted the reception, offered a toast. The meeting closed on a high note with a friendly atmosphere of exchange between the British Embassy and its members.