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22nd BRT Annual Meeting – 05 November 2020: "EU & JAPAN - A NEW WAY FORWARD"

On this webpage: Material from the BRT's 22nd Annual Meeting (05/11/2020 in Tokyo, Paris & online): key meeting documents (the agenda, the Joint Recommendations statement, the detailed Recommendations by Working Parties and other presentations given during the meeting) | The formal submission to the Government of Japan of the BRT's Recommendations | The Joint Session with the Authorities | Social media coverage of the event. | A separate page has cuttings, articles and additional coverage about the 2020 annual meeting.

   

22nd EU-Japan Business Round Table Annual Meeting

Tokyo, Paris & online - 05/11/2020 - The 22nd annual meeting of the EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT) took place, with the strapline, "EU & Japan - A New Way Forward". It was co-Chaired by Masaki Sakuyama (Chairman, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation) in Tokyo, and Philippe Wahl (Chairman and CEO, Le Groupe La Poste) in Paris.

 The main meeting room at the Tokyo Kaikan

   

The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, but was postponed at the outbreak of the global covid crisis.

Given the on-going pandemic situation, the 2020 BRT took the form of a hybrid meeting with participants able to join in the discussions from three locations:

  ... at the Tokyo Kaikan,...

... at the Paris headquarters of Le Groupe La Poste,...

Photographer: Eric Huynh, © Le Groupe La Poste

... or online

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 Handover to the Government of Japan

After the annual meeting endorsed the BRT's 2020 Joint Recommendations and detailed Recommendations from each Working Party, BRT Japan-side Chairman, Masashi Sakuyama, formally submitted the documents to METI Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama who received them on behalf of the Government of Japan.

Patricia Flor, Ambassador of the European Union to Japan; Hiroshi Kajiyama , Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Masashi Sakuyama, BRT Japan-side Chairman; Eiichiro Washio, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mabito Yoshida, Vice Minister for Trade Policy, Trade Policy Bureau (MIC) mark the Handover of the BRT's recommendations.

   

Joint Session with the EU and Japanese Authorities

The second part of the meeting saw the traditional 'Joint Session with the Authorities'. Formal statements were given by METI Minister Kajiyama; Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market; MOFA State Minister Washio and MIC Vice Minister Yoshida.

Jean-Paul Forceville and Philippe Wahl at Le Groupe La Poste, Paris watch Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market address the BRT by video link from Brussels

 

Photographer: Eric Huynh,
© Le Groupe La Poste

Following the formal statements from the Authorities, there was a dialogue - with questions and answers and an exchange of ideas between the BRT Members and the representatives of the EU and Japanese Authorities. Commissioner Breton and MIC Vice Minister Yoshida took part in the dialogue, alongside Takashi Omote, METI Deputy Director-General for Trade Policy and MOFA Deputy Director-General Shuichi Akamatsu.

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Documents from the 2020 annual meeting

Various documents are available from the 5 November 2020 annual meeting:

The Agenda for the Day Summary of Recommendations
EN        JP: EN        JP:
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Member list:    
       
Recommendations and presentations by the BRT's 4 Working Parties
Working Party 1 Working Party 2
       
Working Party 3 Working Party 4
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Presentations from different sessions  
Session 1 - EPA WATCH:
Taking stock & highlighting the success of the EU-Japan EPA

Session 2 - CALL TO ACTION:
Raising awareness of new challenges and taking advantage of the EPA under the new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic

Session 3 -
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: Evolution of the BRT
 

 

       

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Social media coverage

To see how the BRT was covered on Twitter, LinkedIn and by the media, please see the 2020 cuttings page.

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