********************************************************************* Issue 74 [June 2013] OCCI e-Magazine http://www.osaka.cci.or.jp/e/index.html ********************************************************************* [CONTENTS: June 2013] 1. Business Seminar and Individual Business Talks held by a Taiwanese delegation to Japan from the Third Wednesday Club 2. Survey results on the impact of stemming the appreciation of yen on corporate management for the time being 3. Report on the gIndia IT Forum in Osakah (Attended Indian company preparing to set up their Osaka Office) 4. OCCI International Division report on VIP visitors ===================================================================== 1. Business Seminar and Individual Business Talks held by a Taiwanese delegation to Japan from the Third Wednesday Club On May 21, a delegation comprised of 74 Taiwanese businesspersons with Mr. Chiang Pin-Kung, Chairman of the Third Wednesday Club at the head, visited Osaka and held Business Seminar and Exchange Gathering as well as Individual Business Talks at Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Third Wednesday Club, which was inaugurated in August 1999, is a private economic organization with its members coming from Taiwan's large company group limited to those with annual gross sales of at least 20 billion Taiwan dollars. Total gross sales of member companies of the Third Wednesday Club is said to account for more than 60% of Taiwan's gross domestic product. In the business seminar, after the speech by acting Chairman Masashi Hashimoto of the OCCI International Business Committee, Chairman Chiang Pin-Kung gave a lecture titled gEconomic Relationships between Japan and Taiwan and between Taiwan and China after the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China.h Chairman Chiang Pin-Kung, who was also the signer of the ECFA, talked about the actual conditions of Japan-Taiwan and Taiwan-China economic relationships, and strongly promoted the merits of Japanese and Taiwanese companies jointly entering the Chinese market in the future with detailed examples to more than 130 participating Japanese companies. In the exchange gathering, which was held after the seminar, OCCI Vice Chairman Teiichi Nishimura proposed a toast following the speech by Mayor Osami Takeyama of Sakai City. Representatives of Japanese and Taiwanese companies, while drinking together, actively interacted with each other, while at the same time some companies held individual business talks in separate rooms. ===================================================================== 2. Survey results on the impact of stemming the appreciation of yen on corporate management for the time being After the exchange rate of the yen reached 100 yen per dollar for the first time in 4 years, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry conducted the gsurvey on the impact of stemming the appreciation of yen on the corporate management for the time beingh from May 14 to 21, and announced the survey results. This survey, which was conducted among 1,461 member manufacturers, received responses from 252 manufacturers (17.2%). According to the survey results, while the responses saying gThe impact is positiveh accounted for 26.6%, gThe impact is negativeh amounted to nearly 40% (37.7%) of the total responses. With regard to the result according to capital size, while the responses saying gThe impact is negativeh (40.9%) outnumbered responses saying gThe impact is positiveh (24.5%) from companies with capital of 0.3 billion yen or below, among responses from companies with capital over 0.3 billion yen, responses saying gThe impact is positiveh (36.4%) outnumbered responses saying gThe impact is negativeh (22.7%). With regard to the currency exchange standard, if combining gAt least 100 yen to less than 105 yenh (22.2%) and gAt least 95 yen to less than 100 yenh (18.2%), approximately 40% (40.4%) of the respondent companies answered that around 100 yen (95 yen to 105 yen) per dollar standard is preferable. As for the responses to the question about the outlook for this fiscal year's ordinary profit if the g100 yen per dollarh standard continues, the answer gIncrease in profith accounted for nearly 30% (28.6%), gDecrease in profith represented a little more than 40% (41.3%), and gHardly affects the profith was approximately 30% (29.0%). Furthermore, regarding the question of necessary improvement items outside the currency exchange standard in order to consider expanding the domestic production ratio and capital investment, many companies sought gMitigation of tax burdens on companiesh (65.1%), gSecurement of an inexpensive and stable power supplyh (43.3%), and gDeregulation of laborh (31.7%). ===================================================================== 3DReport on the gIndia IT Forum in Osakah (Attended Indian company preparing to set up their Osaka Office) On May 15, the Osaka Business and Investment Center (O-BIC) jointly held the gIndia IT Forum in Osakah with the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and India IT Forum at the Grand Front Osaka Conference Room (Kita-ku, Osaka City). This Forum was intended for Japanese and Indian IT companies to discuss on their mutual collaboration, as well as for interactions with Indian IT Forum member companies mainly from the communication and IT fields. In the orientation for seven Indian companies visiting Osaka, Osaka's investment climate and incentives were introduced by O-BIC. Then, after President Yutaka Mabuchi from KMO Corporation gave a speech, representatives from Indian companies toured the facilities at Knowledge Capital, which newly opened in Grand Front Osaka on April 26. In the Forum, after Mr. Vikas Swarup, Consul General of India, Osaka-Kobe gave a speech, Tata Consultancy Servicesf General Manager Yoshikazu Sato and Associate Vice President Kim Jae Hyun of Infosys Limited gave speeches on gMerger Cases between Global IT Companies in India and Japanese Companiesh and gSuccess Factors and Examples of Offshoring by Japanese Companies,h respectively. Furthermore, Director-General Shinya Fujii of JETRO, Chenai and General Manager Kazunori Morikawa of OKI Software gave lectures based on their respective experiences from the perspective of doing business with Indian companies. Ninety-four participants from companies and other organizations in Osaka listened to case studies and presentations by India IT Forum member companies. After the Forum, some Indian company that attended the India IT Forum decided to move to temporary office offered by Osaka City for the future establishment of their Osaka Office. ===================================================================== 4DOCCI International Division report on VIP visitors June 4(Tue.) Mr. Hans Dietmar SCHWEISGUT, Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan June 6(Thu.) Mr. Khalid Hashil AL-MUSLAHI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sultanate of Oman to Japan O-BIC as one-stop service center for creating a foothold in Osaka http://o-bic.net/ Osaka Business & Investment Center (O-BIC), established in 2001, is operated through the joint efforts of the Osaka Prefectural Government, Osaka City Government, and Osaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry. As your one-stop service center for business investing, O-BIC provides a comprehensive yet detailed support system. International companies, foreign government offices and economic organizations as well as foreign-capitalized companies located in Japan are welcome to use the center to obtain accurate information and essential advice for creating a foothold in Osaka. For further information, please contact: o-bic@osaka.cci.or.jp = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Chief Editor : Shinji MARUYAMA, Director of International Division, OCCI Mailed by : Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, International Division Address : 2-8 Hommachi-bashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan 540-0029 Tel : +81-(0)6-6944-6400 Fax : +81-(0)6-6944-6293 Contact Persons : Kazuko KAMADO (Ms.), Hikaru KOHAMA (Mr.) Back Numbers of OCCI e-Magazine: http://www.osaka.cci.or.jp/e/mail/index.html = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = * Please contact us through the email (kohama@osaka.cci.or.jp) to inform us of your change of e-mail address, or of your wishes not to receive OCCI e-Magazine.