|
APEC Business Advisory Council JAPAN |
|
|
|
On October 27, 2011, the three Japan's ABAC members visited Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at his official residence to submit the 2011 ABAC Report to Leaders, requesting implementation of the recommendad policies from business perspectives. |
Rising Expectations for APEC
— Building towards Regional Economic Integration beyond Bogor Goal —
Since its establishment in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has continued to work on enhancing the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and on advancing economic and technological cooperation.
Specifically, APEC has continued to work on reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, simplifying trade and investment procedure and recently, on human security issues including food security and measures against infectious diseases and on regulatory coherance.
In 2010, the year when developed economies were to have achieved the Bogor Goal, Japan chaired both APEC and ABAC. It was also the year when APEC leaders agreed on the Yokohama vision and the APEC economies took another step towards the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pasific (FTAAP). In 2011, Prime Minister Noda officially announced Japan's intentions to start bilateral talks with relevant economies to participate in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
Role of ABAC
— Sole Official Business Advisory Council,
which has direct communication with the APEC Leaders —
The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is the sole official advisory entity of the private sector for the APEC Leaders' consultation. ABAC is comprised of up to three members from each of the 21 economies participating in APEC. ABAC, which mainly discusses the ideal framework for trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region from a business perspective, is given opportunities to provide policy recommendations directly to APEC Leaders and Ministers. A dialogue between ABAC members and APEC leaders is held every year during the APEC Leader's week.
In Japan, Yoshihiro Watanabe (Advisor, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd), Yoshinori Komamura (Representative Director, Executive Vice President, Komatsu Ltd.), and Hidetoshi Kamezaki (Corporate Advisor, Mitsubishi Corporation) are the three ABAC members. (as of July, 2012).
Support Council for ABAC Japan
— Reconciling Voices of the Japanese Business Sector with APEC Policies —
The Support Council for ABAC Japan (SCABAC-J) was established in December, 1999, with full support by four major economic federations and associations in Japan: Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japan Association of Corporate Executives, and Kansai Economic Federation. SCABAC-J aims to foster communication between Japan's ABAC Members and the Japanese business sector to reconcile its views with APEC policy discussions. The major activities of SCABAC-J include;
- Fostering communication between Japan's ABAC Members and the member companies of SCABAC-J
- Enhancing cooperation between Japan's ABAC Members and Japanese Government officials
- Supporting ABAC Members and staffers of ABAC Japan for participating in international conferences, including ABAC meetings
- Assisting with compilation of policy recommendations for ABAC Japan
There still remain many obstacles regarding frameworks, rules and systems for trade and investment that prevent companies from fully expanding their global cross-border business activities. SCABAC-J promotes improvements of international business environment for Japanese companies.
ABAC/APEC Structure