What is the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)?
~ Impact on industries and measures to prevent deforestation in Japan ~

Thursday, June 13 16:00-17:30 Tokyo (9:00-10:30 Brussels)
(With English-Japanese Simultaneous Interpretation / Free event)

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to prevent deforestation in the EU and mandates due diligence evaluation, came into effect on June 30, 2023. Targeted items include seven agricultural and forestry products: palm oil, beef, wood, coffee, cacao, rubber, and soybeans, as well as processed products such as leather, chocolate, furniture, printing paper, and rubber tires. The regulation will be applied if these products are supplied into or exported from the EU, starting from December 30, 2024 for large companies and June 30, 2025 for small companies. There are also concerns about its potential impact on Japanese companies.
 
Meanwhile, in Japan, the government and private companies are taking measures to promote sustainable forest preservation, and as part of these efforts, the revised Clean Wood Act (CW) has been promulgated in 2023 (will come into effect on April 1, 2025). This Act aims to promote the distribution of products made from timber in compliance with the laws and regulations of the countries of origin, including Japan.

In this webinar, the European Commission will explain the outline of the EUDR, its operational policy, and its impact on foreign and Japanese companies, while Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will discuss Japanese government and private sector initiatives to build sustainable supply chains (including an introduction of the CW Act mentioned above). Two officials from French Ministry of Environment will also join to share EU initiatives on deforestation and preparations for the implementation of the new law. In addition, a Japanese industry organization and a company are invited to explore the responses of the industrial sector, while every panelist is expected to discuss about future cooperation between Japan and Europe. Please register for the event via the ZOOM registration link below.

Agenda

16:00 -16:05 (9:00 -9:05)　Opening remarks
-    Manuel Hubert, Managing Director European Side, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 

16:05-16:50 (9:05 -9:50) 　Presentations
-    Diego Torres, International Relations Officer, DG Environment, European Commission 
-    Marine Reboul, Policy Officer on Imported Deforestation, French Ministry of Ecological Transition
-    Clemence Boullanger, Policy Advisor on Global Forests and Land, French Ministry of Ecological Transition
-    Hajime Sugimura, Deputy Director, International Strategy Division, International Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

16:50-17:05 (9:50 -10:05) 　Comments from Japanese industry organization & company
-    Katsuyuki Kadota, General Manager for International Affairs, Japan Paper Association
-    Ayako Itoh, General Manager, Social Value Strategy Department, Global Sustainability Strategy, Bridgestone Corporation

17:05-17:30 (10:05-10:30)    Q&A and Discussions
-    Moderator: Yasuo Tanabe, Managing Director Japan Side, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

• Registration: This webinar will be held on ZOOM. Please register from this ZOOM link to join.
• Q&A: Questions during the webinar can be entered in the Q&A box on your screen. In addition, it’s possible to accept questions in advance when registering for ZOOM participation.