ADM – EA Consulting

BEIJING: Finally the day has come. The crucial moment when the admirer has to announce his official proposal of marriage. That’s what is going on between Japan and China today after the confirm of national businessmen association of Japan, commonly known as Keidanren, about the imminent opening of own official representative office in Beijing.

It’s crucial step which we can clearly understand that formally China has won the challenge by attracting the most institutional entity in representation of  all biggest and important japanese corporates on coming towards the first economy of the world. It doesn’t matter if Keidanren has always kept traditional pride about international relations and it has been commonly considered more oriented on protectionism, remaining constantly faithful to japanese market’s authority or to USA’s directive about  international or financial politics.

Indeed It’s meaningful to consider that Keidanren has no overseas office since it closed its Washington office in 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis. Now they’ve choosen to re-start from China. The federation will gather information to support Japanese companies seeking business opportunities in the world’s second-largest economy by opening the office.

This step probably will represent the new useful way for Japan  to consolidate a regional cooperation on trade and business matters. Commonly the perception that Europe is sinking to the bottom is easing the creation of mutual friendship atmosphere among big players on eastern asia area. The USA well know the point that’s why they are planning to intensify military defense on japanese area, (in particular after the death of Kim Jong Il in North Korea) keeping constantly their presence on region that could get in crucial steps to develop new business opportunities.

The start for new friendship n business issues between China and Japan is focused mainly on high technologies. The chinese government with local officials from Beijing has recently accepted several delegations from Keidanren to arrange research programs and create JV to improve technological structure of chinese administration  supporting big corportates (most of them ex state owned corporates) to increase their status about information technology.

The board of Japanese Business Federation consist for exemple of Chairmen or Executive Representative Officers from Toyota, ANA, Mitsui Fudosan, Nippon Steel Corporation, NTT, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Bank etc and the The current chairman is Hiromasa Yonekura of Sumitomo Chemical who has been chairman of The Japan Business Federation since May 27, 2010

All risk capitals and investments come of course mostly from chinese side as a dowry for the skillful new japanese potential husband that consist of 1,601 members (1,281 companies, 129 industrial associations, and 47 regional economic organizations) but even if it’s so important and charming, recently seems be grown old without any good partner.

Paolo Cacciato

p.cacciato@adm-ea.com