Attachment 5
October 5, 2020
International Affairs Department,
KANKEIREN

Executive Summary

Asia Business Creation (ABC) Platform Top MeetingAsia Business Creation (ABC) Platform- The 2nd General Meeting, originally to be held in Singapore in September, has been pushed back to 2021 due to COVID-19.
- As a precursor to the next meeting, leaders from the 8 organizations met online to compare notes (to be detailed later).
Objectives: ”Expanding economic growth in Asia and Japan by providing opportunities for business creation”
Economic organizations in Asian countries and Kansai work together to provide opportunities for business creation to companies andaffiliated organizations in each country by accelerating collaboration in various fields (human resources, technologies, services, etc.)

Participatingorganizations:

Indonesia

Malaysia

MyanmarNational Chamber of Commerce and Industryof Malaysia (NCCIM)
Indonesian Chamber of Commerceand Industry (KADIN)

The Philippines

Singapore

Philippine Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (PCCI)

Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambersof Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI)

Thailand

VietnamFederation of Thai
Industries (FTI)

Singapore Manufacturing Federation(SMF)

Japan
Kansai Economic
Federation (Kankeiren)

Vietnam Chamber of Commerceand Industry (VCCI)

Activities:

1. General Meeting◎ Held annually with attendance by leadership from each affiliated organization◎ The 1st mtg. held on April 5, 2019. The 2nd mtg. scheduled for 2021 in Singapore

2. Thematic Working Groups (TWGs)
Conduct specific efforts for business creation

HR Development/Utilization

Medical / Nursing Care
[PM: SOMPO Holdings,[PM: Ehle Institute]
J.S.B.]Develops /Introduces advanced
empowers core HRs medical technologies,of Asia by providing promotes medical
them with job
tourism, builds aopportunities insustainable businessJapan, etc.
model for nursing care,etc.

SMEs
Agriculture
Tourism
Environment
Start-ups[PM:JATA][PM:ResonaBank][PM:Kubota][PM: Hitachi Zosen] [PM: Hankyu Hanshin
Properties]
Organizes
Introduces smart Increases tourist
Facilitates
traffic between
Accelerates
seminars andagriculture andenvironmental
innovations bytours designed to other technologies Japan and otherimprovement in
Asian countries by Asia throughfacilitating growth ofhelp SMEs tooverseas,
expand/start
promotes import / stimulating
business alliances and exchange
outbound /overseas business, export of farm
between Japan and between start-ups ininbound businesses, other AsianJapan and otheretc.
products andAsian countries, etc.
processed foods, etc.
countries, etc.
etc.

3. Business creation among concerned companies/parties

Alliance, cooperation◎ Started with 5 TWGs. Environment TWG added in December 2019 and Start-up TWG to be added soon
◎ Each TWG has a Project Manager (PM), who leads the activities of their TWG.

1

Kansai Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry
Pacific Resource Exchange Center, etc.

Determine action plan, share achievements/challenges

Executive Summary - ABC Platform Top Meeting
Time:
Place:
Purpose:Friday, September 4, 2020, 15:00～17:30
Virtual (Zoom)
To further activate the platform by sharing and comparing notes on activity updates, responses to COVID-19,
and expectations for the ABC Platform among economic organizations of the member countries
Attendees: Leaders of member economic organizations, those involved in the platform, Kankeiren member companies(via webinars), and others concerned
Program: 1. Opening remarks: Chairman Masayoshi Matsumoto, Kankeiren
2. Updates on activities: Chairman Keiji Tanaka of the Business-in-Asia Committee, Secretariat
3. Free discussions among leaders of economic organizations (responses to COVID-19 in their countries,
expectations for the ABC Platform, etc.)
4. Closing remarks: Senior Council Member Neo Eng Chong, Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF)
On the occasion, an eye of daruma was painted to wish for a swift end to COVID-19 and a quick economic recovery.

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Top Meeting – Leaders of Member Economic Organizations Comparing Notes
Executive Summary of the Meeting (Expectations for the ABC Platform) (See the following slides for details)
1. Strengthening cooperation among the member countries to overcome COVID-19 and stimulate economic growth
2. Business matching via webinars, virtual trade shows, ABC Platform website, etc.
3. Initiatives by TWGs (Shown below are the concerns of each member country)
Malaysia• Promotion of the Halal business• Utilization of Japan’s agricultural technologies
Myanmar• Stimulation of the nursing care system• Development of water supply and sewerage systems• Support for start-ups• Improvement of healthcare services, license agreement with Japan’s home centers,
The Philippines
strengthening of farm product sales• Development/supply of human resources
Singapore• Organization of webinars associated with the SMS TWG and Medical / Nursing Care TWG• Cooperation in agricultural technologies
Thailand• Development of human resources with advanced skills
Vietnam• Matching Kansai-based companies with Vietnamese students seeking jobs

Remarks by Chairman Matsumoto

Kankeiren Chairman
Masayoshi Matsumoto• As you shared key info on COVID-19 and the economy with us, we realized that thebond among the member organizations has strengthened and deepened despite theCOVID-19 pandemic.
• Your presentations have brought my attention to the following four key imperatives:
1. Mutual development through two-way communication
2. Expansion and acceleration of the width and depth of activities by the ABC
Platform
3. Stimulation of the activities to promote bonding among member countries
4. Producing results by building on each program, albeit small ones, and joining
hands (Let’s deliver results!)

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Top Meeting – Leaders of Member Economic Organizations Comparing Notes
Speaker

Selected commentsMs. Leila Djawas
Executive DirectorIndonesian Chamber ofCommerce and Industry(KADIN)• In Indonesia, the number of COVID-19 cases has topped 180,000 with 7,616 deaths, which is thehighest in SEA. Things are particularly serious in the capital city Jakarta and East Java. It will take time
before COVID-19 is brought under control.
• IMF predicts that Indonesia’s economic numbers will be the lowest since the Asian currency crisis in1988. On the other hand, some industries registered positive growth, including telecommunication,water supply, health services, real estate, and agriculture. Now that the government has eased
regulations to adapt to the new normal, the digital economy will hold the key going forward.
• According to a survey by JETRO, 80% of Japanese companies are experiencing a drop in sales inIndonesia but some 70% of them plan to continue investing in the nation, while 15% of them arereviewing their investment plans. This shows us that many Japanese companies still see significant
potential in the Indonesian market and assume that consumption will recover over the long term.
DBS Bank of Singapore sees Indonesia as an attractive investment location, with robustconsumption/demand and a young working population.
• To overcome COVID-19 and seek economic growth, it is necessary that many countries/regions joinhands, and we expect that the ABC Platform will play a significant role in this regard.

Mr. Datuk Zayad Md Ismail
Hon. Treasurer and General
Council Member
National Chamber ofCommerce and Industry ofMalaysia (NCCIM)• In Malaysia, the national lockdown was issued in March, closing the border and banning inter-state
movement. In June, we moved to the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) to lift the ban oninter-state movement. This policy should continue until the end of December 2020.
• The tourism industry has suffered immensely since the beginning of the year due to the closure of
the border with China and doesn’t seem set to recover any time soon. Tightened cash flows ofbusinesses and the decline in workers’ income during the lockdown are feeding concerns over thefuture throughout the country, and some SMEs are laying off their workers or giving up their business.
• The business circle believes what we need is a paradigm shift to a new business environment, ratherthan merely resuming past economic activities. We are expecting our government to develop a new
business infrastructure that applies the latest digital technologies.
• I agree with the ABC Platform’s policy, which Mr. Tanaka explained earlier. It reaffirmed the need tostrengthen activities through the ABC Platform and produce results by organizing virtual meetings,etc. I believe that it is time to take one step further to boost initiatives to create business by inviting
diverse stakeholders to come abroad.
• NCCIM aims to strengthen ties with TWGs and the Bangkok Desk. Last year saw the Muslim Friendly
campaign by the Tourism TWG, which was a positive attempt to acknowledge the needs of Muslim
tourists. We also believe that, in the fields of Halal food and smartphone apps, the SME TWG andStart-up TWG are in an advantageous position to create business, too. We will work proactively to4
produce results.

Top Meeting – Leaders of Member Economic Organizations Comparing Notes
SpeakerMr. Zaw Min Win
President
Union of Myanmar Federationof Chambers of Commerceand Industry (UMFCCI)Mr. Renato G. Simbulan
ChairmanInternational AffairsCommittee
Philippine Chamber ofCommerce and Industry(PCCI)

Selected comments• Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Sports says that there were 787 COVID-19 cases as of August 31.
• To create business in key sectors such as agriculture, innovative technology, tourism, HR development,
dissemination of technology and skill development, medicine, and start-ups, the ABC Platform should
pursue interactive activities.
• Over 70% of the working population is in the agriculture sector in Myanmar and accounts for 22.5%of GDP. Most agriculture businesses are small-sized and yearn to utilize Japan’s agricultural
technology to achieve growth. We extend a welcoming hand to Japanese companies, including
Kubota, Kaneko Agricultural Machinery, Mebiol, The Norinchukin Bank, and Maruyama Mtg. (who arethe members of the Agriculture TWG) to our country.
• SMEs in Myanmar would like to take advantage of webinars and other opportunities to look formatches in Japan. We endorse the idea of developing a website where economic organizations fromdifferent countries can communicate with each other and update information. This website should
allow companies from Japan and other Asian countries to find matches and exchange useful
information on going to ASEAN countries and vice versa. We would like to have technical support
from Japan to promote digitalization of business in Myanmar.
• In order to build a sustainable system for nursing care in Myanmar we hope to revitalize our nursing
care system with support from the ABC Platform. We would also like to accelerate the developmentof sewerage systems and waste treatment facilities in Myanmar in collaboration with theEnvironment TWG. We also embrace the idea of organizing virtual trade shows of Japanese andASEAN brands on the ABC Platform’s website. We can organize webinars on economy and trade,investment regulations, financial institutions, entry strategies, etc.
• After the first COVID-19 case in the country was confirmed, the Philippines acted promptly to prevent
its spread and expanded the quarantine and isolation systems. In addition to allocating a budget todeveloping a contact tracing system to monitor the behaviors of the infected, we are increasing thenumber of hospital beds. We also launched a working group to study the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
• In the Philippines, manufacturing, construction, and transportation businesses were hit hard, while
agriculture, forestry, and fishery businesses grew. A survey jointly conducted with local chambers ofcommerce and industry found that approx. 50% of SMEs were forced to suspend their operations.
• The PCCI President is working closely with embassies and their counterparts in foreign countries tofacilitate innovations within two years from now, by, for example, building an innovation center ecosystem to expand networks among young entrepreneurs, accelerators, incubators, and investors tofoster start-ups. In the fields of the environment and start-ups, we are hoping to leverage the ABC
Platform to promote business.
• We look forward to working with the ABC Platform to co-promote concrete projects going forward.
Possible areas for collaboration include the application of cyclotron technology to cancer treatment,
licensing agreements with Japanese home centers, and sales promotion of farm products such as
mangos and okras. In HR development, we believe there are many areas in which we could
collaborate, such as training and supply of HRs.
• I believe that not a few companies currently operating in China are considering leaving China due tothe disturbances caused by COVID-19, and we encourage them to relocate their operations to thePhilippines. We at the PCCI will offer all-out support to facilitate such moves.
5Top Meeting – Leaders of Member Economic Organizations Comparing Notes
SpeakerMr. Douglas Foo
President
Singapore Manufacturing
Federation (SMF)

Mr. Chirapan Oulapathorn
ChairmanThai-Japanese Industrial
Cooperation InstituteFederation of Thai Industries(FTI)

Selected comments• We believe that we can always find a silver lining in a crisis. Although we cannot meet in person now,
we are moving ahead with the objectives laid out by the ABC Platform as we connect with eachother via Zoom and many other tools. Changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic are
essential in achieving prosperity in the new normal, which emphasizes the importance of creating newopportunities by tapping into the latest technologies.
• Fortunately, Japan and ASEAN countries have managed to contain the spread relatively well, and thisexperience will be instrumental to our economic development going forward. It will be increasingly
important for us to share knowledge through the ABC Platform.
• ASEAN is expected to be the world’s 4th largest economic bloc in terms of GDP, and ASEAN’s
development will bring new opportunities to Japan. We should seek cooperation to create businesses
in each field of the ABC Platform. We at SMF are hoping to co-organize a webinar with Kankeiren on
topics related to the SME TWG and Medical / Nursing Care TWG. We would like to hear yourcomments and ask you to share your experiences in these two fields.
• I trust that the ABC Platform will firmly cement the ties among our organizations. Let us all join
together to build sustainable partnerships and fruitful business relationships!
• TFI has recently established the Thai-Japanese Industrial Cooperation Institute to reinforce cooperation
with Japan and I was appointed the first Chairman of the Institute.
• Thailand has been successful in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but suffered a serious economic
impact nonetheless. There is nowhere that this is truer than in the tourism sector, which accounts fornearly 20% of our GDP and is expected to shrink at least 7〜8% in 2020. Although the government has
begun to ease the restrictions on movement within the country, domestic consumption remains
stagnant and exports are forecasted to decrease by 10-12%. We may expect the economy to start
recovering in 2021, but, due to the weak demand for manufacturing and tourism across the globe, therecovery may be slow and uncertain at best. Our government has taken numerous pump-priming
measures and established a joint committee with the private sector to draw up effective economicmeasures. We at FTI have made recommendations to the government, which include acceleration ofgovernment-led investment projects designed to stimulate the domestic economy and support for
trade promotion via an e-commerce platform.
• We believe that the ABC Platform will reinforce the cooperative ties between Kankeiren and countries
in Asia. As agriculture and food are two key industries that drive the Thai economy, we are hopingthat Thailand’s agriculture sector will boost its capacity and start to expand further through thetransfer of agricultural technology via the ABC Platform. Meanwhile, the Thai industrial structure isshifting away from the conventional manufacturing business to more innovative and advanced
technology-oriented businesses such as automation, IoT, robotics, and healthcare. To develop HRs
capable of meeting fast-changing industrial demands, we need to work closely with Japan.
• The ABC Platform established its Bangkok Desk within FTI. We have no doubts whatsoever that theBangkok Desk will help to strengthen activities not only in Thailand but in other member countries
as well, paving the way to fruitful relationships that will last for years to come.
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Top Meeting – Leaders of Member Economic Organizations Comparing NotesSpeaker

Selected comments

Mr. Hoang Van Anh
Deputy Director General
Vietnam Chamber ofCommerce and Industry(VCCI)• Vietnam succeeded in controlling the spread of COVID-19 through timely disclosure, but we are onhigh alert again after the second wave brought a surge in positive cases.
• Vietnam is one of the few countries that achieved positive GDP growth during the COVID-19
pandemic, as it acted proactively to implement a request for its people to stay home in January when
the first case was reported. This success is also attributable to the Vietnamese government’s pumppriming measures. Having said this, the lost six months were too large to ignore, and the rapid
economic growth up to then has slowed down with the manufacturing business incurring hugedamage.
• We would thus like to deepen exchanges with Kansai in the field of manufacturing. We are more than
happy to get involved in various initiatives, including matching for Vietnamese students seeking
positions in Kansai-based companies.
• VCCI expects exchange programs to resume sometime in 2021, and is willing to contribute to thecreation of business opportunities via the ABC Platform. Although we cannot meet in person now, wecan share information and do matching online, and we hope to maintain digital channels for
effectively comparing notes.

Mr. Masayuki Matsushita
Vice Chairman, Kankeiren• First of all, I am pleased to see you all – despite it being virtually - after a long interval.
• It’s unfortunate that our activities were considerably restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic just as wewere about to move ahead powerfully in the second year of the ABC Platform. Despite this difficulty, itis reassuring to see small but concrete results burgeoning in various fields. I would like to thank ourcounterparts in each region and TWGs for their relentless efforts in this regard.
• Though this difficult situation should linger, I am expecting everyone to stay active so that we canreunite at the General Meeting in Singapore next year and paint the other eye of daruma tocelebrate what we will have achieved. A Buddhist teaching says that if you keep making efforts andnever allow your devotion to lapse, the “third eye” will develop in the middle of the forehead.
Through joint efforts, we are hoping to cooperate with you all to achieve yet another success thatallows us to paint the third eye to our daruma.

Mr. Neo Eng ChongSenior Council Member, SMF• Amid the ongoing disturbances, we have been able to discuss ways to assist enterprises in finding theireconomic foundations and achieving early recovery. I realize yet again that economic organizations
from different countries are more than willing to join hands to get over this hardship.
• If economic organizations of the member countries work together as one, I’m sure that businesses ineach country will gain access to greater opportunities. While the new normal is here to stay, the rolesof our economic organizations will remain unchanged, that is, to offer continuous support for theirmember enterprises. We thus need to encourage our member enterprises to participate in the
programs organized by the ABC Platform to find opportunities to expand their business network andreap the rewards of doing so.
• We are tremendously excited for the General Meeting to be held in Singapore next year. We lookforward to seeing you all again then. Good health and happiness to you all. Stay healthy, and in themeantime, let us stay connected virtually!
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Future Course of Action
1. Showcasing more technologies/products and matching businesses on the website
Posting more technologies/products of companies and organizations from the eight participating countries on theABC Platform website to expedite business matching and put a focus on the expansion of business opportunities forstart-ups in each member country.
27 technologies /products posted as of
September 14, 2020
(including ones to beposted soon)

We invite you to send information on technologies/products that will be posted on this space.
Contact: (FIRST NAME) Nagatsu / (FIRST NAME) Hosokawa, ABC Platform, International Committee, Kankeiren
Tel: +81-6-6441-0104 / e-mail: abcplatform@kankeiren.or.jp

8Future Course of Action
2. Initiatives for the “with/after COVID-19” world
In anticipation of resumption of international exchanges, planning and preparations by each TWG will be accelerated
pursuant to suggestions at the top meeting, and each TWG will consider organizing webinars, etc. with economic
organizations of the member countries.
TWGsKey future initiatives
HR Development /Utilization• Continuing with the project to promote utilization of highly skilled foreign workers, including university students
from Vietnam, with the developments of COVID-19 in mind
• Commencing initiatives to utilize highly skilled workers, including science students from Myanmar• Continuing to organize webinars with domestic/foreign partners

Medical / Nursing
Care• Members of each TWG will pool their know-how to discuss measures to enhance / provide a multitrack formulafor the international HR training scheme and to improve trainees’ living environments, in anticipation of theresumption of the inflow of nursing care providers from abroad.

SMEs• Organizing a series of webinars on “business in ASEAN countries during the COVID-19 pandemic” to identify issues
facing individual companies, thus increasing the number of successful examples by individual companies

Agriculture• Conducting follow-ups on the ongoing projects with Mebiol, Espec Mic, Abridge, etc. to give a concrete shape tothem and sign a deal
• Matching technologies of TWG member companies with the needs of their counterparts (asking economic
organizations of the member countries to invite their businesses to join the ABC Platform)

Tourism• Planning/implementing a business tour to Myanmar jointly with MTF• Planning/implementing business conventions to create Halal-related businesses for Muslim tourists

Environment

Start-ups• Conducting follow-ups to bring to a conclusion the ongoing project on the removal of melamine by membrane
treatment technology, etc. for Thailand (Sumitomo Electric Industries, Hitachi Zosen, etc.)• Taking an approach successfully implemented in Thailand (selection of companies, sharing information gainedfrom surveys on the market needs among TWGs) in other countries (Indonesia, Vietnam, etc.) as well
• Organizing seminars that promote cooperation between start-ups in ASEAN countries and companies in Japan andvice versa• Utilizing the Bangkok Desk to create business by matching start-ups in Japan and ASEAN countries with existing
companies

3. Accelerating alliances with overseas organizations and local economic organizations in Japan
Preparing for the 2nd General Meeting
Accelerating alliances with not only overseas organizations but also economic federations in Hokuriku, Hokkaido, etc.,with a view toward promoting collaboration with Japanese companies/organizations outside of Kansai
9To prepare for the 2nd General Meeting next year, work closely with SMF in the host country of Singapore(Dates for the 2nd General Meeting to be decided by the end of this year through consultation with SMD)