The Business Dialogue highlighted the close ties between Germany and Japan and the opportunities to deepen cooperation in a changing global environment.
Yoshinobu Tsutsui’s (Chairman Keidanren) address highlighted the shared priorities on Germany’s and Japan’s economic agendas and the opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
In his speech in front of 350+ attendees, including German and Japanese top executives and media representatives, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized the importance of combining both countries’ technological expertise to strengthen competitiveness and open up new markets, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and robotics. He called for closer cooperation and greater diversification to reduce economic dependencies, while underlining the need to defend a rules-based global trading system. He proposed establishing a global alliance of countries to defend, strengthen and further develop the rules-based trading system, including the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“Our partnership is becoming increasingly important at a time when the world is undergoing fundamental change.” Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Ryosei Akazawa’s (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry) speech emphasized the potential of AI and data, the role of businesses in turning these opportunities into action, and the value of cooperation between the EU and Japan as trusted partners.
Under the theme “Facing Global Challenges – Strengthening German-Japanese Partnership and Cooperation”, the subsequent dialogue explored how both countries can turn shared priorities into action. Speakers highlighted industrial AI, joint research and common standards as promising areas for collaboration, including cooperation between competitors where it benefits all involved.
Thank you to our moderator and panelists for their valuable contributions to the dialogue
- Moderator: Karl Deppen – President, German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan)
- Roland Busch – Chairman, Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA)
- Bertram Kawlath – President, European Machinery Association (VDMA)
- Akiko Okumura – Executive Vice-President, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
