The 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) convened on Wednesday, 5 June 2024 at the Boardroom, 26^th Floor, Bangunan Ambank Group, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. The following were elected to the Executive Committee of MAJECA for the new term 2024-2025.

The following were elected to the Executive Committee of MAJECA for the new term 2024-2025. 

Office Bearers

President: YBhg Tan Sri Azman Hashim

Vice-Presidents:

YBhg Dato’ Md Taib Abdul Hamid
YBhg Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal
YBhg Datuk Jason Tai Hee
YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Lodin Bin Wok Kamaruddin

Honorary Secretary: Mr Gary Tang Kok Lian

Honorary Treasurer: Mr Goh Peng Ooi

Executive Committee Members

• YBhg Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa
• YBhg Dato’ Yeoh Seok Kian
• YBhg Datuk Ravindran Kurusamy
• YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Michael Yeoh Oon Kheng
• Mr Yeonhang Chuah

Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President & Chairman of the Meeting thanked all participants for attending the AGM. The meeting then adjourned for refreshments and networking.

The MAJECA 2023 – 2024 Annual Report can also be accessed by clicking here.

The MAJECA 2023 – 2024 Annual Report can also be accessed by clicking here.

The Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) with the support of the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) and Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) organised a webinar titled “Smart Factory and Industry 4.0: A Practical and Sustainable Approach towards Digital Transformation” on 26 March 2024. This webinar is the second instalment of a three-part series of engagements with SHRDC with the view to equip members of MASSA and MAJECA, clients of SHRDC and the greater business community with relevant and timely insights to enhance businesses in their DX (digital transformation), GX (green transformation) and innovation journeys.

Smart Factory takes current manufacturing processes to Industry 4.0 standards. Highly effective and efficient machines are capable of data generation, visualization, and analytics. The integration and collaboration-based concept provides a holistic approach towards integration of technologies related to Industry 4.0 and beyond in a manufacturing process.

The webinar session provided an overview of these concepts and a unique perspective towards the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies towards a Smart Factory. Ts. Dr. Chua Wen Shyan, shared a practical and sustainable approach towards accelerating adoption of digital transformation within organizations. The approach and concepts shared were tailored towards supporting the industries (especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)) to accelerate their growth towards effective and sustainable digital transformation.

The programme of the webinar was as follows:

Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA & MASSA delivered the Welcome Remarks.

Ts. Dr. Chua Wen-Shyan, Certified COSIRI Assessor (CCA), Head of Malaysian Smart Factory 4.0, SHRDC giving his presentation.

The State Government of Kedah paid a Courtesy Visit on MAJECA on 22 February 2024 wherein the representatives of the State Government met with YBhg Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President of MAJECA at his Boardroom, 26^th Floor, Bangunan AmBank Group, Kuala Lumpur.

The State Government of Kedah’s delegation comprised:

1. Honourable YB Dr. Haim Hilman bin Abdullah (State Executive Council Member & Chairman of the Standing Committee for Industry & Investment, Higher Learning, and Science, Technology & Innovation for the State of Kedah)
2. Mr. Noor Ikhsan Bin Abdul Aziz (Chief Operation Officer, Invest Kedah)
3. Mr. Mohd Amirul Adzha Bin Mohd Sollehhuddin (Assistant Director, State Economic Planning Unit)
4. Mr. Abdul Muti Bin Dato’ Abdul Hamid (General Manager – Pre Investment, Invest Kedah)
5. Mr. Muhammad Aidil Akmak Bin Sharidan (Special Officer to The Honourable Dr. Haim Hilman)
6. Mr. Abdul Muhaimin bin Abdul Mutalib (Executive – Pre Investment, Invest Kedah)

The meeting discussed how the State of Kedah is seeking to drive more Japanese investments into the state and how Kedah is positioning itself as an attractive destination for investments, especially in the fields of education, industrial expansion & development.

(from left-to-right):
Mr Mohd Amirul Adzha Bin Mohd Sollehhuddin, Assistant Director, State Economic Planning Unit, Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA, Mr Noor Ikhsan Bin Abdul Aziz, Chief Operation Officer, Invest Kedah, YBhg Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, MAJECA, Hon. YB Dr. Haim Hilman bin Abdullah, State Executive Council Member & Chairman of the Standing Committee for Industry & Investment, Higher Learning, and Science, Technology & Innovation for the State of Kedah, Mr. Abdul Muti Bin Dato’ Abdul Hamid, General Manager – Pre Investment, Invest Kedah,  Mr. Abdul Muhaimin bin Abdul Mutalib, Executive – Pre Investment, Invest Kedah, and Mr. Muhammad Aidil Akmak Bin Sharidan, Special Officer to the Honourable Dr. Haim Hilman.

MAJECA and InvestPerak organised a luncheon meeting with representatives of the Embassy of Japan, Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Kuala Lumpur and the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry, Malaysia (JACTIM) on 8 February 2024. The meeting was also joined by the Alumni Look East Policy Society (ALEPS) and the Japan Graduates’ Association of Malaysia (JAGAM). YBhg Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal, Vice-President, MAJECA chaired the meeting.

The meeting representatives were as follows:

1. YBhg Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal, Vice-President, MAJECA
2. Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA
3. Mr Hosomi Masahi, Economic Counsellor, Embassy of Japan
4. Mr Nakao Tadayori, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan
5. Mr Nakagawa Tatsuya, Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan
6. Mr Tanaka Koki, Third Secretary, Embassy of Japan
7. Mr Koichi Takano, Managing Director, JETRO
8. Ms Itsuko Ago, Director, JETRO
9. Ms Esther Lai, JETRO
10. Mr Takero Sawamura, President, JACTIM
11. Mr Daisuke Tanaka, Secretary General, JACTIM
12. Mr Gary Tang, President, JAGAM
13. En Isrami Ismail, ALEPS
14. En Hashim Ghani, CEO, InvestPerak
15. Dr Ahmad Shahir, Senior Manager, InvestPerak
16. Pn Adina Abdullah, Manager, InvestPerak

Group photo of the participants.

• • MAJECA-KolaXus-MASSA iDeas Xchange 2024-2025 Startup Sharing Series | Session #1: Introducing Tomorrow’s Innovators on 5 December 2024 at Banquet Hall, Bangunan AmBank Group, Jalan Raja Chulan
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  • ECERDC Seminar: “Accelerating Net-Zero: Opportunities for Hard-to-Abate Industries in ECER” with Ministry of Economy supported by MAJECA on 28 November 2024 at Double Tree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
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  • 50th ASEAN – Japan Business Meeting on 7 November 2024 at Okura Prestige Bangkok, Thailand
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  • Farewell Luncheon for H.E. Takahashi Katsuhiko, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia on 21 October 2024
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  • Budget 2025 MITI Dialogue Session with Industry on 6 August 2024
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  • 41st MAJECA – JAMECA Joint Conference on 1 August 2024 at Hilton Kuala Lumpur
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  • Joint Conference Pre-Programme in Cyberjaya on 31 July 2024
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  • MAJECA Introductory Dinner with H.E. Ambassador of Japan and Japanese Corporate Leaders in Malaysia on 15 July 2024
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  • 13th Asian Business Summit from 4 – 5 July 2024 in Tokyo
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  • Sharing Session on e-Invoicing Implementation and Solutions at Finexus Campus on 12 June 2024
    
    
  • Visit to the Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) – Malaysian Smart Factory (MSF) 4.0 Discovery Day on 11 June 2024
    
    
  • 47th Annual General Meeting of MAJECA held on 5 June 2024
    
    
  • SHRDC-MAJECA-MASSA Webinar on 26 March 2024: Smart Factory and Industry 4.0: A Practical and Sustainable Approach towards Digital Transformation
    
    
  • Courtesy Visit by State Government of Kedah on MAJECA on 22 February 2024
    
    
  • MAJECA-InvestPerak Luncheon Meeting on 8 February 2024
    
    
  • SHRDC-MAJECA-MASSA Webinar on 18 January 2024: COSIRI Framework for Sustainable Manufacturing
    
    
  • Meeting with InvestPerak on 17 January 2024

The Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) with the support of MAJECA and Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) organised a webinar titled “COSIRI Framework for ESG towards Sustainable Manufacturing” on 18 January 2024. The webinar saw the participation of over 100 attendees. YBhg Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President of MAJECA and MASSA delivered the Welcome Remarks.

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, the International Centre for Industrial Transformation (INCIT) launched its Consumer Sustainability Industry Readiness Index, or COSIRI. The first of its kind, COSIRI is an independent, manufacturer-centric framework that is set to benchmark the sustainability maturity of global industry players and their ESG transparency and reporting.

The Consumer Sustainability Industry Readiness Index (COSIRI) is a comprehensive framework and set of tools designed to assist manufacturers, regardless of size or industry, to embed sustainability into all their operations. COSIRI serves as an independent benchmarking system to assess the sustainability maturity of manufacturers, help guide future roadmaps, and enhance Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) transparency and reporting for manufacturing organisations.

The programme of the webinar was as follows:

YBhg Tan Sri Azman Hashim
President, MAJECA & MASSA delivering his Welcome Remarks.

Ts. Dr. Chua Wen-Shyan
Certified COSIRI Assessor (CCA), Head of Malaysian Smart Factory 4.0, SHRDC giving his presentation.

MAJECA, represented by Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary and Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive met with the Management Team of InvestPerak on 17 January 2024.

Mr Mohamad Hashim bin Abdul Ghani, Chief Executive, Dr Ahmad Shahir bin Abdul Aziz, Senior Manager and Mr Mohamad Shahriman Arif bin Mohd Shariff, Investor Relations Manager represented InvestPerak at the meeting.

The meeting discussed how InvestPerak and MAJECA could collaborate to raise awareness amongst the Japanese investing community about the investment opportunities in Perak State.

From left-to-right:
Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MAJECA, Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA, Mr Mohamad Hashim bin Abdul Ghani, Chief Executive, Dr Ahmad Shahir bin Abdul Aziz, Senior Manager and Mr Mohamad Shahriman Arif bin Mohd Shariff, Investor Relations Manager

MAJECA, alongside 55 other associations and chambers of commerce representing over 10,000 companies across various economic sectors, had on 4 December 2023 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the newly established Government-Industry Coordination Body (GITC) on the occasion of its official launch in conjunction with the Launching Ceremony of the Polytechnic Transformation Roadmap 2023-2030.

The GITC was established as a tripartite coordination body involving representatives of all economic sectors at the national level and serve as a single platform to realise the industry-driven TVET agenda to coordinate integrated industry intelligence/inputs and advice in workforce development/manpower requirement and skills needs.

The Memorandum was aimed at fostering future talent needs and driving industry-led TVET empowerment agenda. Representing MAJECA at this Ceremony was YBhg Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal, Vice-President of MAJECA.

Further information about the 4 December 2023 Ceremony and the GITC can be read here: https://www.fmm.org.my/Announcements-@-GITC_Poised_to_Steer_the_National_TVET_Agenda_By_Implementing_Strategic_Collaboration_with_All_Stakeholders.aspx

The Managing Director, Mr Koichi Takano met MAJECA President, YBhg Tan Sri Azman Hashim on 17 November 2023. Accompanying them were Mr Hiroyuki Nitta, Deputy Managing Director, JETRO, Ms Itsuko Ago, Director, JETRO, YBhg Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal, Vice-President, MAJECA and Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA.

The meeting was organised for the leadership of MAJECA to meet with the new leadership of JETRO Kuala Lumpur who had recently assumed office. The meeting highlighted areas of mutual & actionable interest and cooperation between Malaysia and Japan which include SMEs, supply chain and food security.

From left-to-right:
Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MAJECA, Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal, Vice-President, MAJECA, Mr Koichi Takano, Managing Director, JETRO Kuala Lumpur, Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, MAJECA, Mr Hiroyuki Nitta, Deputy Managing Director, JETRO Kuala Lumpur and Ms Itsuko Ago, Director, JETRO Kuala Lumpur.