The Centre quarterly newsletter, December 2024 issue, is out!
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Message from Yasuo TANABE, Japan-side Managing Director
Since 1987, the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation has a long history as a joint venture between the Japanese government (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and the European Commission (DG Grow). It has become a general incorporated foundation in its legal status in Japan and breathed new life into both name and reality.
This reflects the fact that EU-Japan relations have risen to new heights, as seen in the entry into force of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) in 2019.
After that, in 2021, Green Alliance between the EU and Japan was agreed at the EU-Japan Summit. Under the Green Alliance, the Centre is required to play a role as a facilitator of cooperation in the business field.
In addition, at the 2022 Japan-EU Summit, a Digital Partnership between the EU and Japan was agreed on, and the Centre is considered to be a cooperation mechanism.
In this way, Japan-EU relations are required to further strengthen cooperation, centering on the global issues such as green, digital, and economic security fields.
Based on 35 years of activity experience, the Center is currently strongly implementing activities such as (1) policy information provision, policy dialogue, (2) promotion of business matching, (3) human resources development, and (4) promotion of science and technology innovation cooperation. Through these activities, we will focus on further deepening the cooperative relationship between Japan and the EU, mainly in the green and digital fields.
We look forward to the continued support and guidance of all concerned parties.
Background
Yasuo Tanabe has education background with BA in Law of the University of Tokyo and MA in Political Science of Stanford University.
He had worked for Japanese government since joining the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI, then renamed METI) in 1978 for 32 years, including Director of Europe Division of METI and Deputy Director General of Economic Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). During the government career, he has been mainly involved in trade and energy sector. At MOFA, he served as a trade negotiator for economic partnership agreements with ASEAN countries, Switzerland, Peru and preparatory stage for EU-Japan EPA. He also served as a member of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency during his careear at Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.
After the government, he has worked for Hitachi as a senior executive for government and external relations (2010-2019). He was involved in many infrastructure projects of energy, railway and water in the world and in coordination with Japanese government on trade, energy and innovation policies.
After Hitachi, he has been advising companies and organizations in international relations and energy sector, including the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industries (RIETI) and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ).
Since 2020, he is the Managing Director (Japan-side) of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.
He has written books and articles on energy issues. He has given lectures at the University of Tokyo and University of Hawaii.
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