The 48^th ASEAN – Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) hosted by The Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) as AJBM Japan was held at Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo, Japan from 7 – 9 December 2022.

The ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) is a multilateral, private-led forum between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The inaugural meeting was held in 1974 in Tokyo, Japan, on the initiative of Keizai Doyukai, one of the influential national business organizations in Japan.

Behind the creation of this forum was a strong belief among the Keizai Doyukai members of the time, that economic exchange on the private-sector level, supplementing official development aid, should play a key role to realize stability and development of the East-Asian countries. In comparison with other international conferences and forum, the AJBM is unique in providing an arena for private sector dialogue between Japan and ASEAN as a region.

The 48th AJBM, themed “ASEAN–Japan Cooperation to Create Future Values Together” discussed areas for mutual cooperation between ASEAN and Japan to build a sustainable society and human resources value chain. The meeting welcomed participants and speakers from across ASEAN and Japan comprising Japanese government officials, high-level business executives, representatives from the ASEAN diplomatic missions in Japan, thinktanks and the greater business community in Japan.

The Malaysian delegation led by Datuk Jason Tai Hee, Vice-President of MAJECA and Mr Yeonhang Chuah, Hon. Treasurer of MAJECA were accompanied by members and the Secretariat from the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) as AJBM Malaysia and the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan.

A group photo of the delegates from Brunei and Malaysia at the 48^th AJBM (from left to right):

Mr Shazali Sulaiman, AJBM Brunei, Mr Iqbal Abdullah, Founder / CEO, Laloka Labs LLC, Member of MAJECA, Datuk Jason Tai Hee, Vice-President, MAJECA, Mr Yeonhang Chuah, Hon. Treasurer, MAJECA, Mr Mr. Nor’ Azam Mohd Idrus, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Embassy of Malaysia in Japan, Mr Heng Zhenhung, Associate, One Asia Lawyers Group, Member of MAJECA, Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA, Ms Thangeswary Paleswaran, First Secretary, Embassy of Malaysia in Japan, Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MAJECA.

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7 December 2022 (Wednesday)

• AJBM Steering Committee Meeting

A Steering Committee Meeting chaired by the Chairman of the 48^th AJBM and AJBM Japan, Mr Yuji Hirako (pic below, 2^nd from left) who is Vice-Chairman of ANA Japan was held to discuss the organisation of the next day’s Plenary Meeting and to discuss the plans for the 50^th Anniversary Year of ASEAN – Japan Relations in 2023.

AJBM Malaysia was represented by Datuk Jason Tai Hee (pic below, 2^nd from right), Vice-President, and Ms Ng Su Fun (pic below, right-most), Executive Secretary.

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• Welcome Reception

Following the Meeting of the AJBM Steering Committee, a Welcome Reception hosted by AJBM Japan was held. The following were photos taken:

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8 December 2022 (Thursday) – 48th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) Plenary

• Opening Ceremony

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Following the Opening Ceremony, Plenary Session 1 titled “ASEAN-Japan Cooperation for the Realization of a Sustainable Society” was facilitated by Professor Yamamoto Yasumasa (pic below, left-most), Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Surviability, Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University.

The panelists (pic below, right-to-left) comprised the following:

• Mr Mashita Naoaki, Keizai Doyukai & V-Cube (Japan)
• Mr Ngurah Swajaya (2nd pic, top-right), Special Staff to the Foreign Minister (Indonesia)
• Dr Thanong Bidaya, TTW Public Company (Thailand)
• Dato’ Ragu Sampasivam, East Coast Economic Region Development Council (Malaysia)

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The meeting then adjourned for a Lunch Session-cum-ASEAN-Japan Startup Panel titled “Meet the Change-Makers” faciliatated by Mr Honma Masahiko, Keizai Doyukai / Incubate Fund (Japan). The startup panelists at this session comprised:

• Mr Ryan Gondokusumo, CEO, Sribu (Indonesia)
• Mr Iqbal Abdullah, CEO / Founder, Laloka Labs (Malaysia)
• Dr Wiwat Wongwarawipat, Chairman, Instep Group (Thailand)
• Mr Kevin Nguyen, CEO, JobHopin (Vietnam)

(onstage, from left to right) Mr Honma Masahiko, SessionFacilitator, Keizai Doyukai / Incubate Fundand Mr Iqbal Abdullah, CEO / Founder, Laloka Labs.

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Plenary Session 2 titled “ASEAN-Japan Cooperation for Building a Sustainable Human Resources Value Chain” was facilitated by Professor Ichijo Kazuo, Professor of Innovation and Leadership, the International Institute of Management Development (IMD, Switzerland).

The panelists for the session comprised:

• Ms Grace Abella-Zata, Corporate Executive Search (Philippines)
• Ms Su-Yen Wong, Independent Director, Chairperson, Singapore Institute of Directors (Singapore)
• Ms Mai Hong Ngoc, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Vietnam)
• Mr Tsutsumi Hiroyuki, Keizai Doyukai / Fujitsu (Japan)

After, a Wrap-up & Closing Ceremony facilitated by Mr Yuji Hirako, Chairman of the 48^th AJBM was held to get the inputs, takeaways and comments from the AJBM representatives from Japan and ASEAN.

The Meeting then adjourned for a Closing Dinner. Mr Sakurada Kengo, (pic below) Chairman of Keizai Doyukai delivered his remarks.

The following were pictures taken at the Dinner:

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9 December 2022 (Friday)

A Steering Committee meeting chaired by Mr Yuji Hirako was held to discuss the organisation of the 49^th ASEAN-Japan Business Meeting.

Following that, two optional tours to ANA Holdings’ ANA Blue Base – a comprehensive training & human resource development centre for the whole ANA Group and SOMPO Care / Future Care Lab – a facility for demonstrating new technologies related to nursing care and welfare services, and for introducing these technologies to their facilities.