The Yomiuri Shimbun
Under its new chairman, Sadayuki Sakakibara, who took the post Tuesday, the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) faces the task of increasing its presence, which is said to be lessening of late.
Sakakibara, 71, who is also chairman of Toray Industries, Inc., has expressed his enthusiasm to improve ties with political circles and to implement reforms for Keidanren. His capability to carry them out will thus be tested.
Keidanren is one of the nation’s big three business lobbies. The other two are the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.
About 1,300 companies, mainly major firms, belong to Keidanren, hence seen to hold the strongest influence among the three.
Keidanren coordinates interests among businesses and presents policy proposals to the government. Because the Keidanren chairman is in a position to represent business circles, the person in the post is dubbed “the prime minister of the business world.”
On Monday before taking the post, Sakakibara attended a press interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun and others.
“There are [harsh] opinions that [Keidanren] is merely a voice of only major companies. We have to make [Keidanren] an organization that will be trusted by a wider range of members of the public,” Sakakibara said.
He emphasized, “Drastic structural reforms of Keidanren itself are necessary.”
Keidanren’s activities have focused on manufacturing companies of large-scale products. It is, therefore, seen as a lobby for old industries, whose interests do not necessarily match those of information technology, the service sector and other relatively new industries.
Sakakibara expressed his view that Keidanren needs to pick up opinions from a wider range of people by, for example, reexamining how to operate its conferences held in provincial areas.
After taking such measures, “We’ll present a vision about directions that Japan will aim for toward 2020 and 2030,” he said.
As for the government, he presented a request: “I wish that the government would pave the way to lowering [the effective rate of] the corporate tax to 25 percent, which is the same level as those in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as soon as possible.”
To obtain sympathy from a wide range of members of the public, it is essential for business circles to pass profits from their improved business results on to wages to revitalize the nation’s economy.
For Keidanren under Sakakibara’s leadership, collaboration with political circles is also an important task.
Former Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura had sour ties with the government partly because he criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s monetary policy that Abe presented before the LDP returned to power. Thus, communication with the Prime Minister’s Office has not been smooth.
What is drawing attention is whether Keidanren will judge that it should present a rough standard about donations to politicians.
During the interview, Sakakibara said, “I intend, as Keidanren, to present opinions and directions by year-end.”
When the Democratic Party of Japan held the reins of the government in 2010, Keidanren discontinued the method of using evaluations of government policies as a rough standard about political donations. Since then, Keidanren has not engaged in decisions of companies’ political donations in an organizational manner.
Keidanren member companies hold a deep-rooted view that Keidanren should have more commitments to political donations to increase its influence on the government.
Regarding cooling relations with China, Sakakibara expressed an intention to offer cooperation in environmental technology fields to improve ties.
China is worried about pollution of its air and rivers. Sakakibara said, “The Chinese side also longs for cooperation [in the field of environment protection].” He showed enthusiasm for playing a role as a bridge from the private sector connecting the two countries.
By making use of Japan’s environmental protection technologies, Sakakibara said Keidanren will make “a breakthrough” in improving relations with China.
He also said, “It’s one of the top priorities [of Keidanren] to make efforts to improve ties with China and South Korea.”
Though China has been in disputes with Japan politically, sources said that in economic fields, China wants to gain Japan’s cooperation. It is because the Chinese economy has slowed and Japanese investment in China has been on the decline.
Sakakibara has strong connections with business circles in China and South Korea because Toray operates textile and resin businesses in the two countries.
On May 14, Sakakibara held a meeting with Huh Chang Soo, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, which is South Korea’s major business lobby. Huh is also chairman of the South Korean conglomerate GS Group.
They agreed to resume meetings of top Japanese and South Korean business leaders, which had been suspended since 2008.
Sakakibara said, “Exchanges between [the two countries’] business circles will encourage improvement in relations.”
Sakakibara also said, “By firmly taking concerted steps [with the Abe administration], we’ll solidify moves [for Japan] to exit from deflation,” indicating his intention to deepen cooperation with the political world.
New Keidanren head faces need to increase presence - The Japan News
Under its new chairman, Sadayuki Sakakibara, who took the post Tuesday, the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) faces the task of increasing its presence, which is said to be lessening of late.
Sakakibara, 71, who is also chairman of Toray Industries, Inc., has expressed his enthusiasm to improve ties with political circles and to implement reforms for Keidanren. His capability to carry them out will thus be tested.
Keidanren is one of the nation’s big three business lobbies. The other two are the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.
About 1,300 companies, mainly major firms, belong to Keidanren, hence seen to hold the strongest influence among the three.
Keidanren coordinates interests among businesses and presents policy proposals to the government. Because the Keidanren chairman is in a position to represent business circles, the person in the post is dubbed “the prime minister of the business world.”
On Monday before taking the post, Sakakibara attended a press interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun and others.
“There are [harsh] opinions that [Keidanren] is merely a voice of only major companies. We have to make [Keidanren] an organization that will be trusted by a wider range of members of the public,” Sakakibara said.
He emphasized, “Drastic structural reforms of Keidanren itself are necessary.”
Keidanren’s activities have focused on manufacturing companies of large-scale products. It is, therefore, seen as a lobby for old industries, whose interests do not necessarily match those of information technology, the service sector and other relatively new industries.
Sakakibara expressed his view that Keidanren needs to pick up opinions from a wider range of people by, for example, reexamining how to operate its conferences held in provincial areas.
After taking such measures, “We’ll present a vision about directions that Japan will aim for toward 2020 and 2030,” he said.
As for the government, he presented a request: “I wish that the government would pave the way to lowering [the effective rate of] the corporate tax to 25 percent, which is the same level as those in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as soon as possible.”
To obtain sympathy from a wide range of members of the public, it is essential for business circles to pass profits from their improved business results on to wages to revitalize the nation’s economy.
For Keidanren under Sakakibara’s leadership, collaboration with political circles is also an important task.
Former Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura had sour ties with the government partly because he criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s monetary policy that Abe presented before the LDP returned to power. Thus, communication with the Prime Minister’s Office has not been smooth.
What is drawing attention is whether Keidanren will judge that it should present a rough standard about donations to politicians.
During the interview, Sakakibara said, “I intend, as Keidanren, to present opinions and directions by year-end.”
When the Democratic Party of Japan held the reins of the government in 2010, Keidanren discontinued the method of using evaluations of government policies as a rough standard about political donations. Since then, Keidanren has not engaged in decisions of companies’ political donations in an organizational manner.
Keidanren member companies hold a deep-rooted view that Keidanren should have more commitments to political donations to increase its influence on the government.
Regarding cooling relations with China, Sakakibara expressed an intention to offer cooperation in environmental technology fields to improve ties.
China is worried about pollution of its air and rivers. Sakakibara said, “The Chinese side also longs for cooperation [in the field of environment protection].” He showed enthusiasm for playing a role as a bridge from the private sector connecting the two countries.
By making use of Japan’s environmental protection technologies, Sakakibara said Keidanren will make “a breakthrough” in improving relations with China.
He also said, “It’s one of the top priorities [of Keidanren] to make efforts to improve ties with China and South Korea.”
Though China has been in disputes with Japan politically, sources said that in economic fields, China wants to gain Japan’s cooperation. It is because the Chinese economy has slowed and Japanese investment in China has been on the decline.
Sakakibara has strong connections with business circles in China and South Korea because Toray operates textile and resin businesses in the two countries.
On May 14, Sakakibara held a meeting with Huh Chang Soo, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, which is South Korea’s major business lobby. Huh is also chairman of the South Korean conglomerate GS Group.
They agreed to resume meetings of top Japanese and South Korean business leaders, which had been suspended since 2008.
Sakakibara said, “Exchanges between [the two countries’] business circles will encourage improvement in relations.”
Sakakibara also said, “By firmly taking concerted steps [with the Abe administration], we’ll solidify moves [for Japan] to exit from deflation,” indicating his intention to deepen cooperation with the political world.
New Keidanren head faces need to increase presence - The Japan News
