China-Japan Asia CEO Forum 2014, Tokyo
Built-to-Last: China, Japan and the New Asian Era
The 4th China Japan Asia CEO Forum (CJCF) was held at the Hotel Chinzanso in Tokyo on June 4, 2014. CJCF is a very exclusive event among the most influential business leaders to build trust through interactive discussions. It was founded by Worldwide City Holdings (WCH) and supported by the China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Japan Association of Corporate Executives in 2009. The theme of this year’s forum is “Build-to-last, China, Japan and new Asian era”.
(Photo: Top Leaders at the 4th China Japan Asia CEO Forum in Tokyo)
In many ways, it’s the key relationship in Asia, that between China, the world’s second-largest economy, and the country it displaced in that role, Japan. At this occasion, CharlesYin, the founder of the China-Japan Asia CEO Forum, told the gatheringthat it was the responsibility of the corporate community to ensure relations improved and mutual understandings deepened. The leaders at the CJCF pledged that they would make ultimate efforts to deepen mutual understanding and build mutual trust to overcome the political crisis between China and Japan.
(CJCF Founder, Charles Yin, Executive Chairman of WCH)
At the forum, China’s ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua expressed his continuous support to CJCF and stated that political tensions between China and Japan were “not in line with the benefit of people of the two countries and expectations of the international community”, while the former Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa stressed the need for Japan and China to finally arrange a summit between the top leaders of both countries. Yasuchika Hasegawa, co-chairman of the forum and chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), said dialogues among business leaders play an important role in challenging political times to facilitate mutual understanding and to build trust.
(China’s Ambassador to Japan, Cheng Yonghua)
The Forum’s interactive discussions centered on three topics: On the topic of “Conglomerate and Group Company Governance”, Takashi Kawamura, chairman of Hitachi, Fumio Sudo, chairma of Tokyo Electric Power Company, and Zhang Weixiang, chairman of Jianlong Group, shared their insights on maximizing values of diversified businesses, cultivating leaders and building globally competitive enterprises.
On the topic of Asian Companies " Cross-Border M&A and Globalization Endeavors ", Mr. Ysuchika Hasegwa, CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical and Mr. Shoei Utsuda, chairman of Mitusui, shared the challenges and insights on their major global M&A activities. Mr. Charles Yin, chairman of the investment and advisory firm Worldwide City Holdings (WCH) and founder of CJCF, shared the key success factors of overseas M&A for Asian companies, and emphasized on the importance of building mutual trust among top leaders and key stakeholder relations before M&A takes place.
On the topic of " Building Long-Lasting Enterprises and Succession Planning " , Mr. Masahiko Uotani, CEO of Shiseido and Mr. Hiroshi Onishi President & CEO of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings explored the secrets of japan’s long-lasting companies. Soopakij Chearavanont, executive vice chairman of CP Group from Thailand and Yu Jianfu, chairman of Nanxiang Group also participated in the interactive discussions.
(Panel Discussion at the CJCF 2014: Building Long-Lasting Enterprises and Succession Planning)
The leaders of 500 Fortune Companies and leading companies from Asia at the CJCF pledged that they would make ultimate efforts to deepen mutual understanding and build mutual trust to overcome the political crisis between China and Japan. All CEOs responded positively and called for more frequent dialogues through CJCF and the World Leaders Center (WLC)* to facilitate cooperation and deepen mutual understanding in order to help more Asian companies become globally admired and take more responsibilities in the world.
*About the WLC (World Leaders Center)
Responding to the requests of the CEOs attending the CJCF, the World Leaders Center (WLC) was established in 2011 as an exclusive senior executive community focusing on helping members lead changes and succeed in the markets beyond national boundaries. WLC is membership-based NPO and has helped its members achieve significant successes and overcome numerous C-level challenges since its establishment and earned the trust of hundreds of top executives from Fortune 500 Companies and leading firms in Asia.
(Dinner Reception at the China-Japan Asia CEO Forum 2014 in Tokyo)