The NCCJ is pleased to announce the launch of the 2010 Deshima Business Awards.

You are cordially invited to present your company for consideration for these awards. The Deshima Business Awards aim to recognise companies that are leading the way in Japan and consist of one award for the large company segment and one award for the small/mid size enterprise segment. We are most honoured that Mr. Bernhard Wientjes, Chairman of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry for Employers, will present these awards on 19 November in Tokyo.

For further details with application guidelines and benefits for entrants please click here. Please note that the application deadline is 10 September. We look forward to receiving your application.

Learn more about patent filing techniques that can afford Western companies greater competitiveness in the Japanese market. This informative event is hosted by Felix-Reinhard Einsel, Vice Representative, Sonderhoff & Einsel Law and Patent Office. For further information and registration please click here. Upon registration please mention you are an NCCJ member to be able to attend for the member price. Booking deadline in 17 June.

Meet new people, develop business leads and catch up with friends and business acquaintances before the summer holiday season. Join us for the Annual Joint Chamber Summer Networking Cocktail. For further information please click here. For registration (deadline in Tuesday 15 June) please send an email to nccj@nccj.jp

We are pleased to announce an upcoming rare opportunity to hear directly from senior DPJ Ministers whose portfolios significantly impact the prospects for the Japan economy and for foreign business in Japan.  Each Minister will speak for some 30 minutes followed by Q&A, with simultaneous interpretation provided.

The Speakers:

Mr. Naoshima, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

Mr. Edano, Minister of State for Government Revitalization

Mr. Nakagawa, Senior Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

Full details will be announced soon.  Please lock the date (Wednesday 2 June) and time (5pm~) into your calendars so not to miss this important event. Please click here for further details.

Join us on Thursday 13 May for a luncheon meeting to see the results of the most recent Business Confidence Survey (Spring 2010) conducted by the Foreign Chambers in Japan (FCIJ). After lunch we are delighted to present Richard Jerram who will give us his analysis and commentary on the results.

Richard Jerram is Head of Asian Economics for Macquarie Capital Securities. He has been analysing the region for more than two decades, with a specialisation on Japan, initially in Tokyo during the late 1980s bubble, followed by a period working and studying for a doctorate in London, then returning to Japan in 1996.

For more details of this event and how to register, please click here.

Interview with Professor Yoshiyuki Sankei, Cyberdyne, February 08 2010.

Kindly tell us about yourself and your company.

When asked that question, professor Sankai kindly showed us a 15 minutes powerpoint presentation of his company and his research. “I am a professor at Tsukuba University and am also the CEO of Cyberdyne.” Furthermore professor Sankai mentioned that he was also selected by the Japanese government as one of the country’s top scientists and is known worldwide by the science community. Fascinated by robots during his childhood and a strong will to help humanity, professor Sankai developed innovative products and ideas with the support of many researchers at his University. During his presentation, the professor showed us the Robot Suit HAL ® suit (cyborg-type robot that can expand and improve physical capability) and its various functions. He was pleasantly surprised when we informed him that his HAL ® suit was shown as one of Japan’s leading innovating technologies during the promotional video of 400 years trade relations between the Netherlands and Japan.

Whether you have just recently entered the Japanese market or whether you are a long-established “gaishi-kei,” it might be tempting to dismiss the endless array of bizarre products and advertisements that flood the Japanese marketplace as chaotic. The reality is however that this apparent chaos is a product of deep insight into the Japanese mindset and culture.

Join us for this luncheon presentation during which speakers from Dentsu will suggest how to best utilize this knowledge in identifying which contact points to use to most effectively reach target consumers. Colourful anecdotes, thought-provoking case studies and valuable consumer insight backed by an elaborate data stream accumulated from Dentsu’s over 100 years of experience, will make for an eye-opening experience. For more information and how to register please click here

Please mark the date in your diary! The upcoming Annual General Meeting has been planned for 20 May 2010, to be held in the Roppongi Hills Club. More details will follow shortly.

Please join us at April’s Aperitif for a joint networking social with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ). This is the second in a series of joint chamber social events whereby NCCJ members get the opportunity to expand their network and get connected with other foreign chamber members in Japan. This Aperitif will be held on Thursday 8 April  at Oakwood Premier Midtown with open bar and great food! Please read further details of this event and how to register here. We look forward to seeing you there!