chamber of commerce

Armin Frauenknecht, president of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan, discusses life inside the European Business Council.

Here at the chamber, we’re a one-woman show. The embassy takes over when it comes to helping new Swiss companies establish themselves in Japan. If a small Swiss company had a product they want to sell in Japan, we’re probably the first place to call on.

By Sarah Noorbakhsh -- We talk to Manfred Hoffman, Executive Director -- The chamber performs three specific functions. In addition to the original function of a chamber, we also consider ourselves a service provider for German companies trying to access the Japanese market. Our staff of 30 employees provides info and support for small and medium, both member and nonmember, businesses.

Dr Greg StoryBy Peter Harris -- J@pan Inc talks to the Chairman of the Australian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan -- The Australian Chamber was founded in 1972 but then, in around 1990, the New Zealand (NZ) embassy approached the Chamber and suggested a tie-up with the NZ business community. In the spirit of ANZAC, this idea was embraced and seemed to make sense on a number of cooperative levels. The Chamber is fully independent although it enjoys the support of both the embassies; for example, they help bring us leading politicians as speakers and help out with providing venues.

Philip Greenan By Peter Harris -- J@pan Inc talks to the Vice President of the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce. -- The Irish corporate landscape is very much shaped by the global economy. A lot of multinational companies choose to have their European headquarters in Ireland, and as a result, many Irish-Japanese connections have occurred naturally in the course of economic globalization. Ireland has also proactively sought to cultivate Irish people with Japanese language and business skills.

Ian de StainsBy Peter Harris -- J@pan Inc talks to the Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan -- How do Anglo-Japanese trade relations stand at present? The trade and investment flows are very strong. A little under 50% of Japan’s investment into Europe goes into Britain. This has been the case throughout the latter part of the last century but the nature of that investment has changed.

Michel LachausséeBy Peter Harris -- J@pan Inc talks to the President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Japan -- The French chamber in Japan is the oldest European chamber of commerce, started in 1918. In Japan we have now reached a membership of 556. We are also the largest contributor to the European Business Council in Japan (EBCJ) and for France, the chamber here in Japan is one its most important in the world; Japan is a major market for many French companies. There are Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel and so on in the luxury brand sector with Renault and Michelin in the automotive industry. AXA have more than 10,000 employees here and Sanofi-Aventis are big in pharmaceuticals.

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Romano MazzuccoBy Peter Harris -- J@pan Inc talks to the President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan. -- The Italian chamber has roughly 170 members. Italian companies working in Japan come from a wide variety of industries. Our members come from some of the largest name Italian companies, Gucci, Armani, Lamborghini, Fiat and so on. We also have some hitech companies, legal services and many other kinds of smaller enterprises are represented.