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The Fifth Dialogue between Secretary General of ASEAN and Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA)

    The Fifth Dialogue between Secretary General of ASEAN and Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA) was held on 21 July 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Purpose of this Dialogue initiated in 2008 and held annually since then is that FJCCIA, as the federation of Japanese chambers of commerce and industry in ASEAN region, conveys regional-wide problems which Japanese companies operating in ASEAN are facing to ASEAN bodies through the ASEAN Secretariat.

    Representing ASEAN, together with H.E. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN, were H.E. Dr. Lim Hong Hin, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community Department, and H.E. Rienchai Likitplug, Vice Minister for Commerce of Kingdom of Thailand. The delegates from Japan side were Mr. Minoru Furusawa, Chairman of FJCCIA, H.E. Kimihiro Ishikane, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, Chairman and CEO of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mr. Tsutomu Miyagi, Managing Director of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Kaoru Yamakawa, Managing Director of Kansai Economic Federation, heads of Japanese chambers of commerce and industry in ASEAN countries and others.

    In the Dialogue, FJCCIA raised issues related to custom procedures, utilization of FTAs, rationalization and harmonization of standards, conformance and labeling, protection of intellectual property rights, negotiation of FTAs, development of industrial human resources, and others. In its turn, ASEAN explained their actions toward solution of these issues.

    It is desirable that business environment for Japanese companies operating in ASEAN is improved further though this framework.