ASEAN-Japan Business Week 2023 Participation Report

One of eftax’s members participated in the ASEAN-Japan Business Week 2023, an event consisting of an interim report on the ASEAN-Japan Economic Co-Creation Vision, updates on ASEAN business, future possibilities, leading examples, and discussions by experts.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of our friendship in 2023, the project “ASEAN-Japan Economic Co-Creation Vision” is underway between Japan and ASEAN to develop guidelines on how economic partnerships between Japan and ASEAN should be established.

For those of us who aim to create sustainable communities through the use of technology and highly skilled human resources, and who have deep ties to ASEAN, the following are some of the points that particularly impressed us.

• Digital transformation is a major challenge not only in Japan but also in ASEAN, especially in the welfare and healthcare domains
• No longer Japan=Donor, ASEAN=Recepients, but changed to equal status.
• Develop human resources who can contribute to the development of both parties through personnel exchange and co-creation innovation
• Rather than large-scale investments led by large corporations and governments, Japanese companies, including local SMEs, start-ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are required to address specific issues with a common sense of purpose.
• When Japanese companies work on local issues, they need to take a long-term perspective to understand the local situation in detail and provide services that match the actual situation.

We also joined networking sessions, and had interesting conversations about the industries and technology needs in which we have successful achievements.

In the middle of the event, a “Net Workin’ Lunch,” a lunch with a touch of the national character of each ASEAN country, was served to the participants to help them get to know each other better. The lunch was a great opportunity for participants to deepen exchanges while savoring the event’s message of understanding the local situation.

As ways to promote co-creation, the event mentioned actively inviting highly motivated young people from ASEAN to Japan, promoting entrepreneurship in Japan, and providing support from the side of Japanese companies. We hope to apply the knowledge we gained from this event to SUGEE Kansai, an overseas human resources support service that provides these services.