Newsletter March 11
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On this March 11th also the BLCCJ would like to remember the lives lost and those still missing after the triple disaster in Tohoku now 10 years ago. Our thoughts are with the families and all those still suffering. A lot of efforts have been done to revive the area and its economy, but there is still a long way to go. Let’s never forget 2011/03/11.
BLCCJ has been busy on the event front.
Yesterday we organized our “EPA 2 years later: expectations and reality” webinar, jointly with the BLMC (Belgo-Luxembourg Market Council) and ITIC (Foundation for International Trade and Industrial Cooperation). It was our most popular webinar so far.
Main message of the seminar: although making use of the EPA can be an administrative challenge, it certainly can be profitable, but at this moment a lot of its potential is still unused. In this regard speaker Joren Kippers of the Belgian Embassy referred to the study “Belgian Exporters & Free Trade Agreements: a good match?” by the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency:
Two more online events have been scheduled:
–Webinar “Sustainability: doughnuts and water bottles”: Thursday 18 March, 18:00-19:00 @ Zoom
–Online meet-and-greet “Meet the BLCCJ members” with presentations of ABeam Consulting, FunLife, Robert Half Japan and Total Japan: Tuesday 30 March, 18:30-19:30
To sign up for both events, just send us an email.
More events in the making:
-Inter-Asian Chamber webinar with Luxembourg Minister of Economy Franz Fayot: May 7 @ Zoom
-Inter-Asian Chamber webinar with Country Director Google Belgium Thierry Geerts: May 17 @ Zoom
-Belgian shop @ Belgian Beer Weekend Yokohama 2021: May 20-23
-Golf Tournament with French Chamber: May 28 @ Tomisato GC
-Belgian Beer and Food Academy in Tokyo: June 1 @ Hilton Tokyo
More information will go out in due time.
We hereby want to welcome our newest Individual member Philip Olivier, Country Chair Japan, Total International S.A. Japan Branch. He will present himself at our March 30 “Meet the BLCCJ Members” event.
Let us also remind you that tomorrow is the last day of Foodex Japan 2021.
You can still go and visit the Belgian booth, jointly run by FIT and AWEX.
Finally, here are some news headlines of the past days:
-Expert panel head urges mutant strain preparedness (NHK World – Japan, March 10)
-345 people in Japan infected with coronavirus variants: ministry (Kyodo News, March 10)
-COVID-19 vaccination of 14,000 SDF medical staff begins (Kyodo News, March 8)
-Japan could approve 2nd COVID-19 vaccine as early as May (Kyodo News, March 7)
-OECD upgrades global growth forecast to 5.6% (NHK World – Japan, March 10)
-Japan’s Feb. economy watcher sentiment posts biggest rise in 8 months (The Mainichi, March 9)
-Japan downgrades 4th-quarter GDP as companies scale back spending (The Asahi Shimbun, March 9)
-Japan’s airlines partly suspend bookings on flights from abroad (Kyodo News, March 10)
-Re-elected Bach promises ‘safe, secure’ Tokyo Olympics (Japan Today, March 11)
-Japan to stage Tokyo Olympics without overseas spectators (Kyodo News, March 9)
-Japan to give $41 million aid to Asian nations over vaccine supply (Kyodo News, March 9)
-Japan supercomputer Fugaku in full operation to aid COVID-19 research (Kyodo News, March 9)
-Cabinet approves bill to reduce plastic waste, encourage recycling (Japan Today, March 11)
Continue to take good care of yourselves.
The BLCCJ office