13 minute read

since January 2017

from BCCJ Acumen November December 2020

from BCCJ Acumen November December 2020, page 40

Misa Yashiro

The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan

BCCJ MISSION To strengthen business ties between Britain and Japan, promote and support the business interests of all our Members, and actively encourage new business entrants into the Japanese market as well as Japanese investment into the UK.

LEADERS President: David Bickle Deloitte Tomatsu Tax Co.

EXECUTIVE STAFF Executive Director: Lori Henderson MBE Associate Director: Sarah Backley Operations Manager: Sanae Samata Marketing and Communications: Sam Maddicott Events Coordinator: Noriko Mita Senior Adviser: Graham Davis

EX OFFICIO Chris Heffer | British Embassy Tokyo Matt Knowles | British Council Japan

BCCJ ACUMEN Editor in Chief: Simon Farrell

HONORARY INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS Hiroaki Fujii Sadayuki Hayashi GCVO Kazuko Kon MBE Robin J Maynard MBE Masaki Orita

British Chamber of Commerce in Japan Ark Hills Front Tower RoP 2-23-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 Tel: 03-6426-5739 | Fax: 03-6426-5749 info@bccjapan.com | www.bccjapan.com BCCJ ACUMEN is the magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan

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CONTRIBUTORS

Paul Madden CMG

British Ambassador to Japan since January 2017 (page 6) Simon Farrell

Publisher and editor-in-chief of BCCJ ACUMEN and co-founder of Custom Media (page 8 and 28) David Bickle

A tax partner with Deloitte Tohmatsu Tax Co. and president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (page 13)

Sarah Backley Associate director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan since January 2020 (page 12) C Bryan Jones Custom Media’s editor of BCCJ ACUMEN (pages 15, 23 and 39) Elizabeth Tasker

Theoretical astrophysicist at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (page 28)

Koji Tokumasu An envoy of the Welsh Government to Japan (page 25) Julian Ryall The Daily Telegraph correspondent in Japan (page 16) Ximena Criales

Art director for BCCJ ACUMEN

/BCCJapan

/BCCJ Company Page

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Alec Jordan

Senior editor at Custom Media (page 31) Charlotte Boisdequin Graphic designer for BCCJ ACUMEN (page 37) Misa Yashiro

Arts and events coordinator for BCCJ ACUMEN (page 42)

BCCJ members and writers are welcome to submit ideas for content, which will be reviewed by the publisher. simon@custom-media.com

Ministerial visits resume, progress on climate change

Trade minister signs deal—our first VIP here for eight months

by paul madden cmg british ambassador to japan

photos: © british embassy tokyo

During my time here, I have had the pleasure of welcoming many senior British Cabinet ministers to Japan. But this year we had no VIP visitors, following the Foreign Secretary’s February trip. So, it was a great pleasure to have Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss here in October. And even more so, because it was for the historic signing of our new trade deal, the UK–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Fortunately, the Japanese government exempted SOS Truss and her small party from the compulsory two-week self-isolation for arrivals from overseas, but set very strict Covid-19 protocols around what they could do here. Essentially, they were confined to meetings at the ministries and my Residence. Nevertheless, she had a very full programme. After the signing ceremony with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (pictured right), we had lunch at the Foreign Ministry Guest House, Iikura House, where we discussed reform of the World Trade Organization and the UK’s plans for our G7 presidency next year.

She also called on Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshi Kajiyama to discuss UK–Japan business cooperation, and on Cabinet Office Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura (right), who is a familiar face from our TV screens here, as lead minister on the Covid-19 response. He is also responsible for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He undertook to do everything possible to advance the UK’s interest in joining the CPTPP during Japan’s presidency of the process next year.

Liz Truss also undertook a range of press engagements and met Japanese business representatives, including leaders of the Keidanren, whilst her lead trade negotiator, Graham Zebedee, briefed the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) and British businesses. Having now worked out a formula for the logistics of VIP visits during the coronavirus pandemic, we are hoping for further ministerial visitors.

Having now worked out a formula for the logistics of VIP visits during the coronavirus pandemic, we are hoping for further ministerial visitors.

Making a “virtual” virtue of necessity

In Japan, the second wave has had less-devastating consequences than elsewhere, and our progress towards a new business as usual has continued. We have more staff and visitors coming into the embassy, and our team is able to get out and about more. But the requirement for social distancing means that we are not going to be hosting our usual larger events for a while yet. So, thinking creatively, the Trade & Investment team has turned our conference room into a well-equipped virtual boardroom from where we can stream events to a wide online audience and give visitors a bit of the red-carpet treatment. This will include a series of events on the Future of Mobility, such as autonomous driving, low emissions and smart cities, as part of our UK in JAPAN campaign. We are also using the venue for virtual meetings between Japanese and UK businesses.

Prime Minister Suga commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050

We were also delighted by PM Yoshihide Suga’s announcement—in his speech at the opening of the extraordinary Diet session on 26 October—that Japan would commit to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This represented a significant policy shift, and one that Britain had long been pressing for— together with like-minded partners within Japan—as we prepare to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) next year.

PM Boris Johnson, together with French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary General António Guterres, is hosting on 12 December a virtual Climate Ambition Summit, at which PM Suga will speak, to mark the fifth anniversary of the historic Paris Agreement.

We now look forward to hearing Japan’s detailed plans for implementing this commitment, including, hopefully, a full phase-out of support for coal. PM Suga has quickly got into action on the international scene. Following early phone calls with PM Johnson and other world leaders, he made his first overseas visit as PM—to Vietnam and Indonesia—in October.

With Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi

The Trade & Investment team has turned our conference room into a well-equipped virtual boardroom from where we can stream events … and give visitors a bit of the red-carpet treatment.

Back in the UK, as Covid-19 position tightens

Just before SOS Truss’s visit, I had made a brief visit to the UK, my first since the spring. I called on the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, to talk about the continued deepening of the UK–Japan security relationship, which has been going from strength to strength. I also met senior officials in a range of Whitehall departments. We discussed the UK’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, which is currently underway. It is not clear at the time of writing when, exactly, this will be published. But it is expected to feature a significant shift of emphasis towards this region, sometimes described as an Indo–Pacific tilt.

I also caught up with my counterpart, Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, and with British Paralympic Association Chief Executive Mike Sharrock. The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to 2021 has created a number of logistical and financial challenges for Mike and his team— just as it has for the organisers in Japan. But they are very much looking forward to coming to Tokyo to compete next year.

Whilst I was in London, the city went into Tier 2 of the government’s Covid-19 designation. I was still able to do business meetings but, when meeting up with our children, we had to remain outside as we were not part of their immediate households. It was strange to see central London so quiet. As the second wave hits Europe, moving into the winter, many governments are having to tighten up lockdown measures, often at a city or regional level. England has subsequently moved into full lockdown. Once again, it is a very worrying situation, but hopefully the healthcare systems are a bit more prepared for it this time round. And academia and the pharmaceutical industry continue to make progress towards vaccines.

Christmas in Japan

As the evenings draw in, thoughts begin to turn towards Christmas. As a diplomat, I’ve experienced Christmas in various ways in different countries: beach holidays in Australia; fake snow in Singapore shopping malls; schmaltzy decorations in America. It’s always a bit different in non-Christian Japan, where it’s not even a public holiday. But those of us who do celebrate it always manage to make it a special time here, too. The BCCJ’s British Business Awards usually feel like one of the first signs of Christmas. This year, that too was a virtual event. And for the first time in nearly 30 years, travel restrictions mean Sarah and I won’t be spending Christmas with any of our three children. No doubt many of you are similarly affected. I hope you still manage a happy and peaceful Christmas. And I’m sure we’re all hoping that things will look brighter in the new year.

ARK marks 30 years

Somerset expat’s NPO has saved thousands of pets in Japan since being founded in 1990

I’d like to devote my column this issue to one of Japan’s most gutsy and giving resident Brits, as she celebrates three decades of rescuing neglected dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, horses and other pets. When fellow West Country native Elizabeth Oliver MBE founded Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK) in 1990, it started her long and difficult journey as a leading advocate in Japan for awareness, education, volunteerism and donations to improve the sad plight of pets, tighten the weak laws governing the industry—and to rescue about 3,300 dogs and 1,400 cats so far and still counting. She has battled stubborn bureaucrats and ruthless gangsters to create a safe haven, clearing house and forever home for thousands of pets whose owners either can’t or won’t provide decent treatment, respect, accommodation, food, love and company.

In the week that saw 164 underfed and neglected dogs being hoarded under terrible conditions in Shimane Prefecture, ARK marked its 30th anniversary on 7 November by unveiling simon farrell | simon@custom-media.com an exhibition of photographs and artworks at The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, in Marunouchi, Tokyo.

When tragedies strike, ARK is often there to help, as they are in Shimane now and were in 1995, when the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake devastated a large area of Kansai. This prompted ARK to rescue about 600 animals reported lost or homeless— and facing euthanising.

Oliver, from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, recalled: “Extensive media exposure led to an army of volunteers, many celebrities amongst them, arriving from across the country. The ensuing media frenzy was not only a breakthrough for ARK but a game changer for Japan’s public awareness towards the prevention of cruelty to animals”.

Soon after, she explained, an unprecedented pet boom swept Japan, with negligible regulatory infrastructure to protect the surging number of pets sold. Many of these were supplied primarily from unlicensed and untrained “balcony breeders” who

ARK has been supported by a wide network of advocacy groups, volunteers, donors and collaborators throughout Japan and the world.

followed the cues from media to anticipate the next flavour-of-the month and send makeshift mills into overdrive.

In August 1998, ARK was authorised by Osaka Prefecture as a non-profit organisation (NPO) and became an accredited Nintei NPO in 2016.

According to the ARK exhibition: “There are hundreds of thousands of animals born, and not accounted for in official statistics, which are now being euthanised by the mills and pet shops. During the early 2010s, Britain averaged over 1,300 cases of cruelty being prosecuted annually, while Japan, with twice the population, averaged 13. Prevention of cruelty and advocacy for better protection remains predominantly in the hands of private citizens and welfare groups”.

ARK has been supported by a wide network of advocacy groups, volunteers, donors and collaborators throughout Japan and the world over its 30 years.

Oliver said: “It does indeed take a village to rescue animals, to house and care for them, to find them forever homes. More work and funding are needed to expand our educational and regulatory advocacy activities and to complete our Sanctuary in Sasayama”.

Simon Farrell is an ARK board member.

From left: ARK board members Hiromi Uchida and Mary Corbett, exhibition organiser, with Elizabeth Oliver pictured right, at The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.

It Takes A Village: A Visual Journey Through ARK’s 30 Years in Support of Animals is on until 4 December at The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan and is open to non-members who wish to see the exhibition.

WARNING: Beware of online scams by those promising to give away or sell dogs at a low cost. Use caution when responding to ads.

The ever-popular ARK calendars are a great way to get set for 2021. Two sizes are available—wall (¥1,000) and desk (¥800)—and each purchase is a donation that helps save the lives of animals!

https://arkonline.thebase.in

This article is from:

BCCJ Acumen November December 2020

by Custom Media KK