JETRO Topics
First large-scale investment symposium in Shanghai
December 2016
On December 21, JETRO held its first large-scale symposium for investment into Japan in Shanghai, China. In this symposium, joined by over 180 business people from companies and organizations in Shanghai, speeches were delivered by JETRO Executive Vice President Shigeki Maeda and business executives from Chinese companies operating in Japan, who emphasized the attractiveness of Japan as an investment destination and benefits of doing business in Japan from their individual perspectives.
Passionate call to Chinese companies for investment into Japan
In his keynote speech, Executive Vice President Maeda emphasized the fact that there is still much room for further investment into Japan from China, stating that “China has become a preeminent power of FDI rivaling Japan. However, the stock of investment into Japan from China is still small, accounting for only 0.9% of Japan's stock of inbound direct investment.” He made a passionate call to Chinese companies in attendance to invest in Japan by introducing the current state of affairs in the country such as its strong economy, a wide range of deregulation being conducted and its favorable investment environment, while bringing up “tourism” and “cross-border electronic commerce” as fields bearing particular promise.
Keynote speech by Executive Vice President Maeda of JETRO
Introduction of experiences and procedures in investing in Japan
Liao Jianxi, CEO of China’s leading optical equipment maker Phenix Optical, made a presentation on his company’s experience as a case study in investing in Japan. He introduced the attractiveness of Japan as a research and development site by saying that “As Japan is a prominent hub for R&D, our company has being conducting joint research with a Japanese company in car-mounted cameras, a specialized area we are focusing on where high quality and performance are required.” Christopher Martin, Vice President of Shanghai Fun Q Network Technology, an e-commerce site operator, stressed the importance of the Japanese market to his company’s supply chains. He said “Japanese companies have extremely advanced capabilities in planning and developing products, and demonstrate remarkable speed in development. There are numerous innovative products in Japan which have never existed in China.”
Takashi Nomura, lawyer and Representative of the Shanghai Representative Office of Nishimura and Asahi, gave an explanation on the usual procedures required at each phase of establishing a Japanese corporation, which was closely followed by the Chinese companies considering investment into Japan.
Presentation by CEO of Phenix Optical
Presentation by Vice President of Shanghai Fun Q Network Technology
Corner for PR and consultation by local government and JETRO
Following the symposium, a networking reception was held and participants engaged in lively discussion on topics such as business expansion in Japan. A PR corner was set up within the venue by six local governments—the Cities of Osaka and Yokohama as well as Kyoto, Fukuoka, Aichi and Nagasaki Prefectures—where they disseminated information on each area's unique characteristics, available incentives and support systems. JETRO also set up a consultation corner to respond to specific inquiries from individual participants.
Networking reception
Outline of symposium
| Date | Wednesday, December 21, 2016, 1:30pm – 4:00pm |
|---|---|
| Venue | Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel |
| Organizers | Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) |
| Co-organizers | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Shanghai Association of International Economic & Technological Cooperation (SAIETC), Shanghai Overseas Investment Development Board (OID), Shanghai Nonlocal Enterprises Federation (SNEF) |
| Attendees | 183 persons (including 8 persons from 7 media outlets) |
| Program outline |
*A PR corner by local governments and consultation corner by JETRO were set up within the venue. |
