38th JAMECA – MAJECA Joint Conference on 27 October 2021

The 38^thedition of the JAMECA – MAJECA Joint Conference was held on 27^th October 2021.

Hosted by JAMECA, the Joint Conference theme was ‘Japan – Malaysia Collaboration in the New Normal: Building Resilience though Business Cooperation’.

This conference welcomed 200 participants from Malaysia and Japan representing members of JAMECA and MAJECA, including Government officials and its agencies, alongside business associations, thinktanks and the business communities from both countries.

A VIP meet-and-greet session was organised with the following in attendance:

Mr Tsuyoshi Nagano, President, JAMECA
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, MAJECA
H.E. Hiroshi Oka, Ambassador, Japan
H.E. Dato’ Kennedy Jawan, Ambassador, Malaysia
Mr Mikio Sasaki, Immediate Past President, JAMECA
Mr Kuniharu Nakamura, Vice President, JAMECA
Dato’ Taib Abdul Hamid, Vice-President, MAJECA
Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal, Vice-President, MAJECA
Mr Daiji Kojima, President, JACTIM
Tan Sri Dr Michael Yeoh, Hon. Secretary, MAJECA
Mr Kazuto Sasaki, Sec. Gen, JAMECA who hosted the session.

A group photo of the attendees of the meet-and-greet session before the Joint Conference proper started:

The programme of the Joint Conference was as follows:

The Joint Conference began with opening remarks from the distinguished leadership of JAMECA and MAJECA.

Mr. Tsuyoshi Nagano, President of Japan-Malaysia Economic Association (JAMECA), delivering his opening remarks.

Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President of Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), delivering his welcome address.

Following on, the congratulatory messages by the Prime Minister of Japan and Prime Minister of Malaysia were read by the Ambassadors of the respective countries, after which, the Ambassadors of Japan and Malaysia delivered their respective remarks to the Joint Conference.

H.E. Hiroshi Oka, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Malaysia read the congratulatory message by H.E. Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan.

H.E. Dato’ Kennedy Jawan, Ambassador of Malaysia to Japan read the congratulatory message by YAB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Mr Kazuto Sasaki, Secretary General of Japan–Malaysia Economic Association (JAMECA) was the emcee of the Joint Conference.

A special recorded address by YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Malaysia was presented as follows:

The plenary session, with the theme of “Building Resilience through Business Cooperation” was moderated by Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, Hon. Secretary of MAJECA.

The Conference’s Plenary session featured two Malaysian and two Japanese companies sharing how they overcame the challenges faced by their businesses during the pandemic, their strategies and insights to remain resilient and to have a sustainable business model, giving opportunities for further collaboration with new partners to expand their businesses.

Tan Sri Dr. Michael Yeoh, Hon. Secretary, MAJECA moderator of the Plenary Session.

The presenters were as follows:

Mr. Teppei Sakano, Representative Director, CEO, Allm Inc.
Mr. Lim Peng Jin, Managing Director, CEO, Scientex Berhad.
Dr. Tomohiro Fujita, Chief Executive Officer, Chitose Bio Evolution Pte. Ltd.
Tan Sri Dato’ Paul Koon Poh Keong, CEO, Press Metal.
Following the presentations, the Joint Conference proceeded into a panel discussion-cum-Q & A session led once more by Tan Sri Dr. Michael Yeoh.

The presenters discussed the following:

Mr. Teppei Sakano – presented various medical ICT products and solutions of Allm Inc. that had been developed and emphasized that investment through business cooperation with like-minded partners have brought more business opportunities for Allm Inc.

Mr. Lim Peng Jin – in spite of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Scientex Berhad had been able to make good progress on building a resilient and sustainable business model for its property and flexible packaging business lines, together with its Japanese Joint Venture partners.

Dr. Tomohiro Fujita – expressed Chitose Bio’s aim to establish a new renewable energy source based on microalgae in the hope to complement the current global fossil fuel dependency. He also showcased Chitose Bio’s successful agricultural research station built with sustainable and smart features, in Cameron Highlands, Pahang.

Tan Sri Dato’ Paul Koon Poh Keong – spoke on Press Metal’s aluminium smelting and extrusion business and its progressive investments into integrated upstream and downstream alumina value chain, focusing on sustainability as its main driving focus.

Following the plenary session was a Presentation by Mr. Daiji Kojima,
President of the Japanese Chamber of Trade & Industry (JACTIM), Malaysia (pic below) giving an overview of its members’ investment activities in Malaysia.