Newsletter January 14
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The BLCCJ wishes you a happy and above all healthy new year!
It has been a shaky start but let’s hope only better things are coming our way.
Due to the state-of-emergency our office will only be open 2 to 3 days per week (usually on Monday and Tuesday).
If you need to reach us, we advise you to contact us by e-mail.
Due to the current situation we unfortunately have to postpone a few events.
The Inter-Chamber Ski and Snowboard Networking Retreat has been postponed from end of January to the weekend of 6/7 March (if the situation allows).
Also our annual New Year party cannot happen. Instead we hope to do a spring party sometime March or April, we will keep you posted.
In the meantime we will start planning some webinars!
Concerning the travel restrictions due to COVID-19:
-On the website of the Belgian Embassy in Tokyo you can find updated information on travel restrictions Belgium-Japan.
Kindly note that if you want to visit the Embassy, you need to make an appointment.
-For more information on the COVID-19 situation in Luxembourg incl. travel restrictions, please refer to this website.
-To help you plan your travels in Europe, the European Commission has launched the Re-open EU platform, providing real-time information on borders, available means of transport, travel restrictions, public health and safety measures, as well as other practical information for travellers.
-The European Business Council (EBC) remains active in monitoring the borders situation, and you can contact the EBC if your company encounters any problem with the recent closure due to COVID-19 and its new strains.
News from our members:
-The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) is organizing the “Tokyo Sustainable Finance Week” from 8 February, with the aim to promote financial services that contribute to the establishment of a sustainable city and to develop Tokyo’s presence in the field of sustainable finance.
On 9 February, 13:30-17:30, a “Sustainable Finance Forum” will be held online. One of the speakers is BLCCJ corporate member ING Bank ‘s Country Manager Japan, Mr. Leo van Stijn.
For more details and to register, please go to the website.
-BLCCJ member and partner organization The Japan-Belgium Society (JBS) has renewed its website.
Finally, here are some news headlines of the past days:
-Japan expands virus emergency beyond Tokyo as cases top 300,000 (Kyodo News, Jan. 13)
-Japan to halt entry of all nonresident foreign nationals (Kyodo News, Jan. 13)
– BOJ chief says Japan’s economic recovery likely modest amid pandemic (Kyodo News, Jan. 14)
-Japan’s 2020 corporate bankruptcies fall to 31-year low with gov’t aid (Kyodo News, Jan. 13)
-Japan’s expanded virus emergency to cut consumption by 2 tril. yen (Kyodo News, Jan. 13)
-Virus resurgence crushes enthusiasm among Japanese economy watchers (The Japan Times, Jan. 13)
-Hotel bankruptcies in Japan jumped 57% in 2020 (The Japan Times, Jan. 13)
-Tokyo Olympic head says another postponement “absolutely impossible” (Kyodo News, Jan. 12)
-Last trains in Tokyo area to leave earlier amid virus resurgence (Kyodo News, Jan. 13)
-Japan mulls up to $5K fines for infected people refusing to tell officials their movements (The Mainichi, Jan. 13)
-Japan mulls penalty of up to $9,600 for COVID-19 patients refusing hospitalization (The Mainichi, Jan. 9)
-Domestic violence cases in Japan hit record high in FY 2020 (Kyodo News, Jan. 12)
-Asahi survey: 67 percent fear most social stigma of having COVID-19 (The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 10)
We hope that 2021 will progress in a more positive way.
For now take very good care of yourselves!
The BLCCJ office