Newsletter 17 December
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The BLCCJ has wrapped up a very busy 2025, so time to take a break.
But rest assured that we will be back with exciting events in 2026 led by the new BLCCJ Board of Directors!
BLCCJ Board of Directors 2026-2027
Thank you to everyone who joined our Annual General Meeting at the Belgian Embassy yesterday.
We are happy to announce that at the AGM a new Board of Directors has been elected for 2026-2027.
11 current Directors have been re-elected, and will be joined by Stanislav Belooussov (Port Cities Japan) and Alexis Marivoet (Decathlon Japan), for a total of 13 people.
Their term of office is from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2027.
Congratulations to all of them!
At the same time we say goodbye and above all a big THANK YOU to Directors Kazumasa Imoto and Laurent Swinnen for all their work on the Board. Both remain BLCCJ members, so we look forward to seeing them again at our events.
This is the Board of Directors 2026-2027 (in alphabetical order of family name):
- Jo Anseeuw, freelance
- Stanislav Belooussov, Port Cities Japan
- Jean-Pierre Bernardino, Puratos Japan
- Jerome Chouchan, Orchid Inc. (Godiva Japan Inc.)
- Abdel El Madrari, Daimler Trucks Asia
- Hironori Kato, Barco Co., Ltd.
- Kazuma Kato, Kamiyacho International Law Office
- Frederic Lucron, Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk
- Maxim Luxen, SeTraL
- Alexis Marivoet, Decathlon Japan
- Sandrine Monette, Lemon Boost
- Guillaume Nicolas, Kyoto University
- Fabrice Tilot, Triple-A Management
Amongst themselves they will appoint a President, one or two Vice Presidents, a Treasurer and a Secretary General by the end of the year. We will inform you of the result in due time.
Upcoming BLCCJ Events
–Tonight! “Back to China” book presentation
In the framework of the Asian BeLux Chambers network
Date: Wednesday 17 December, 19:00-20:00 JST
Location: online (Zoom)
Date: 22 January, 18:30-22:00
Location: Le Petit Tonneau
The perfect opportunity to reconnect with members and friends after the holidays, and get to know the new BLCCJ Board of Directors!
-Save-the-date! Political and Economic Outlook 2026
Together with the French and Swedish Chambers
Date: Monday 26 January 2026, 18:00-20:00
Location: CCIFJ event space
-Register now! 10th Inter-Chamber Ski and Snowboard Weekend
Date: Saturday 31 January 2026
Location: Hakuba, Nagano
-Save-the-date! Joint Golf Tournament with the French and Swiss Chambers
Date: Tuesday 9 June 2026
Location: Taco CC
For all the event details, please check our mailings, website, LinkedIn and Facebook pages!
News from and for the BLCCJ members
-Check out the details of our Christmas Basket full of promotions and gift and dinner ideas from and for the members!
-The past years we regularly heard about Belgians residing in Japan who were forced to close their bank accounts in Belgium. As a Chamber we have repeatedly brought up this issue with the Federation of Belgian Chambers, since also other BeLux Chambers outside the EU face this issue.
We were recently informed that the cabinet of Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Clarinval is currently performing an evaluation of the minimum bank service legislation, both for companies and for individuals. At this stage, the evaluation for companies has started; in the next phase, the evaluation for individuals will take place.
If an individual is being confronted with a closing of their bank account, you are recommended to do the following:
- Write to the bank that is closing the account
- Write to the ombudsman of the financial services sector
- Write to the FPS Economy
All these steps are clearly explained on the website of the FPS Economy: https://economie.fgov.be/nl/
https://economie.fgov.be/fr/
News from related organizations
-Tokyo Employment Consultation Center Webinar “Work Hours ＆Overtime”
Date: Monday 22 December, 12:00-13:00
Location: Online
-A Belgian Fair is being held in Yokohama – discover the charms of Belgium through authentic Belgian cuisine
Date: until Friday 9 January 2026
Location: All Day Dining Compass, Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
-BLCCJ members are very welcome at the next MetLife Hack4Job Technology Engineering Challenge – Tokyo. The in-person hackathon offers participants a unique opportunity to showcase their skills, tackle real-world challenges, and potentially secure a position at MetLife.
Date: 7 and 8 February 2026
Location: MetLife office in Tokyo
On this note we wish you all a wonderful holiday season!
Our office will be closed from 22 December until 2 January – back at your service on Monday 5 January 2026!