Last month, we presented Part I of the ACCJ’s after-action report on the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 natural disaster in Japan. The aim of this report is to highlight American business concerns and offer proposals to the United States Government and make recommendations to the ACCJ on how to enhance disaster preparedness and ...
This year (October 26th-28th) marked the 16th anniversary of the ACCJ Diet Doorknock (“DDK”). The Doorknock a unique opportunity for us to engage in a dialog with important members of Japan’s Diet and other senior officials. We met with 63 members of the Diet, from ordinary members to Cabinet-level officials, from both houses and all ...
As I write this, 7 months have elapsed since the terrible events of March 11. The ACCJ continues to express its deep sympathy for the people of Japan who experienced losses due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Our members continue to support Japan in its determination to rebuild the areas damaged by ...
As we at ACCJ work hard to deepen the bonds of commerce and friendship between the United States and Japan, and to contribute to the growth and revitalization of our host country, we increasingly see that the bilateral relationship does not exist in isolation. More than ever, U.S.-Japan cooperation in the growing Asia-Pacific region defines ...
I’ve always felt that one of the most fulfilling aspects of ACCJ membership is the opportunity to participate in the Chamber’s broad Community service activities. In the immediate aftermath of the march earthquake/tsunami, the Chamber undertook multiple initiatives focused on contributing to disaster remediation and the renewal of the tohoku region. As you may recall, ...
Supporting Small Business in Tohoku Over the past few months, the Chamber leadership team has been very engaged in initiatives related to the renewal of the Tohoku region. Small businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of the Tohoku economy and their recovery is critical to its future. I honestly believe that a key focus of the ...
For this month’s ACCJ Journal, I thought I’d take a moment to update everyone on some of the notable initiatives that we’ve either recently completed or have currently underway in the Chamber. First, the disasters of March 11 and ensuing nuclear crisis have challenged us in many ways; however, as with any crisis, they have ...
I’d like to take this opportunity to update our members on an important new ACCJ initiative. In response to the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear power disaster affecting Japan, the ACCJ has created an early response team to undertake a project called the ACCJ Tohoku Earthquake Information Facilitation Project. The project aims to ...
Speaking on behalf of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), I wish to express my deepest sympathy for the people of Japan, especially the victims and their families, as we respond to the unprecedented March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The ACCJ, with its more than 60 year history in Japan, remains committed to ...
I hope this message finds all of our members, their families, friends, and associates, safe and out of harm’s way. I’m writing this on March 15, four days since the initial earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan. My heart goes out to those affected by the tragedy, the magnitude of which is so significant that the ...
I’d like to use my column this month to advance the Chamber’s position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a multilateral free trade agreement that promotes economic integration among Asia-Pacific regional economies. The objective of the original agreement was to initially eliminate 90 percent of all tariffs between member countries initially, and to ...
The ACCJ Shinnenkai was held at the Imperial Hotel on January 12. We were fortunate to have over 300 individuals attend, including U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos, 2010 ACCJ Person of the Year Kiyoshi Kurokawa, 2005 ACCJ Person of the Year Taizo Nishimuro, over a dozen Diet members, senior executives from many of the ...
I feel honored to have been elected as the 52nd President of the ACCJ. I want to take the opportunity of my first “President’s Message” to lay out some of our high-level objectives for 2011. I will make it an absolute priority during my term as president to really focus on engaging new ACCJ members. ...
Wow, what a year! The Chamber closes the year with its annual elections, the APEC Summit in Yokohama, our Growth Strategy Initiative Task Force paper “Charting a New Course for Growth: Recommendations for Japan’s Leaders,” and the Charity Ball on December 3. On December 10, the Joint Chamber bonenkai kicks off our immersion into Japanese ...
The ACCJ held its Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) at the Tokyo American Club on October 26 where we approved a slate of candidates for ACCJ offices, and we heard from candidates for ACCJ president. I am not a candidate and I have very mixed feelings about that. The other important OGM matter was to review ...
We are entering the last 3 months of the year and there are a lot of events we will need member support on. There should be something interesting for nearly everyone. Our unofficial 2010 theme was “making APEC work for our members,” and I think that APEC Task Force leaders Bruce Ellsworth and Tom Clark ...
August is O-bon, the season when the spirits of Japanese ancestors return. It is also the season when Japan remembers the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I was in high school when I first read John Hersey’s book “Hiroshima” with its horrifying descriptions of the pain and suffering the A-bomb victims went through. I ...
Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901) is best known as the founder of Keio Gijuku (now Keio University). But he is much, much more. He was part of a group of late Tokugawa samurai who helped Japan understand and respond to the changes that arose from monumental internal and external pressures on nearly all of Japan’s institutions. The ...
Hokkaido was the site of the first big APEC-related business event held in connection with the APEC Trade Ministers conference June 5-6. I had not been to Sapporo in the summer and it is clear that everyone in town is absolutely nuts about flowers. From the airport train through clean air under blue skies, every ...
ACCJ’s CSR activities have grown since we set up the Community Service Fund after the Kobe Earthquake. The activities of each ACCJ Chapter reflect well on how we act on our corporate values and contribute to the communities that make our businesses possible. On May 23rd we kicked off the “charity and health” Chubu Walkathon. ...
Economist Jesper Koll was upbeat last month when he told us that Japanese CEOs were smiling because their greatly improved profits are beating estimates. So I asked Business and Financial Affairs Advisory Council head Tad Johnson and ACCJ Treasurer Nasir Majid if they had anything that would make me smile. I didn’t hear enough to ...
These are exciting times in Japan. Spring and kafunshou (pollen allergies) affect different folks in different ways. Revisions to history are on the nightly news and revisions to GDP numbers raise questions about the prospects for a double-dip recession and longer term, “How do we pay for this huge stimulus package and why don’t I ...
The outlook for the financial year ending 31 March 2010 has some bright spots. If the economy is not booming, at least the economy is no longer shrinking. Resurgent economic Asian tigers are stimulating exports from Japan. However, domestic demand remains weak despite the government stimulus. Massive auto recalls are damaging Japanese pride in its ...
The ACCJ held its extended Board Planning session on January 15th to outline the leadership lineup, inform (or remind) Board members about their responsibilities and, most importantly, to discuss priorities and agree on our direction and activities for 2010. The 2010 Board has a mix of new and experienced people and represents a good cross-section ...
Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! 2009 is finished, over, and done with! 2010 is a brand new year and ours to make something of for ourselves, our companies, and our communities. In early January we will have a Board planning session to develop our priorities and major initiatives for the year. We welcome member input to this ...
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