February 2021  

Message from the Chair

Dear Members and Friends, 

While we enjoy the unusually warm weather here in Tokyo and look to the end of our current state of emergency, there is also a sense of optimism brought in by the beginning of the vaccine rollout across Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Although we have a while to go before life really returns to normal, the light is a little brighter at the end of the tunnel. I hope you are all staying safe and well, and am eagerly awaiting the day when we can all gather and travel freely.

In February we continued with the TIER Committee Launch Series, welcoming three excellent speakers from the Green Technology sector in New Zealand. This meeting was a wonderful chance for our members to meet some new faces and learn more of the opportunities for businesses in this area and we are excited to see what further New Zealand-Japan collaborations are to come. 

This month our members will have also received information regarding the upcoming membership year, including a link to an online survey covering your expectations for Chamber membership and the impact of COVID-19 on our member businesses. If you haven’t done so already, please share your thoughts with us through this survey or do feel welcome to contact the Secretariat directly with any comments or suggestions as we prepare our strategy for the year ahead.

March will begin with our International Women’s Day celebrations and we are delighted to have two excellent webinars in the works, starting with our own Elsie Yung, of Elsyung Consulting, who will share her expert advice on building and maintaining a strong personal brand as a female professional.

The second event will feature an amazing line up of speakers in space, technology and medicine to discuss how we can build a more gender-equal world post COVID-19. Naoko Yamazaki is a former JAXA astronaut and the second Japanese woman to fly in Space, and now serves as Representative Director of Space Port Japan. Dr. Miori Tomisaka is an Associate Professor at Juntendo University specialising in obstetrics and gynecology, and is a strong voice for female health issues. These excellent women will be joined by Yoshihisa Aono, CEO of Cybozu Inc, who has also overseen many changes within his own company, encouraging paternal leave and introducing flexible work for his employees long before the COVID era, and has been a vocal advocate for laws allowing Japanese couples to keep separate surnames after marriage. 

I know this time of year is a difficult one for many in our community, as we mark the anniversaries of the Christchurch Earthquake and Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. It is difficult to believe that ten years have passed since these tragedies occurred, but the communities remain close to our hearts. On 22 February we paused to mark the anniversary of the disaster in Christchurch, and will do the same in March to remember those lost in Tohoku that same year. If you are in Tokyo, you are welcome to join us for a quiet, socially distant gathering in Shiba Park on March 11 to commemorate this anniversary – please find details below.

Wishing you all the best for the month ahead, and look forward to seeing you soon!

2月としては暖かい東京の天気を楽しみながら、現在も続いている緊急事態宣言の解除を待ちわびていますが、オーストラリア、ニュージーランド、日本でのワクチン接種が始まったことで、ポジティブな気持ちになりました。コロナ前の生活が戻るまでには、もうしばらく時間がかかりそうですが、トンネルの先にはより明るい光が見えています。皆様が安全で元気に過ごされていることを願い、また自由に集まったり旅行に出かけられる日を心待ちにしています。

今月頭にはTIER委員会ローンチシリーズの続きで、ニュージーランドのグリーンテクノロジー分野から3名の素晴らしいスピーカーをお迎えしました。このイベントでは新たなメンバー同士の出会いの場にもなり、この分野のビジネスチャンスをより深く知る良い機会となりました。

また、メンバーの皆様には次年度のメンバー特典に関する情報をお届けしておりますが、その中には、オンラインアンケートへのリンクも含まれております。まだアンケートにご協力いただいていない方は、是非ご回答・ご意見を私たちに共有いただけますと幸いです。

そして、3月は世界中の女性の活躍を称える日、国際女性デーから始まります。ANZCCJではその週に2つの素晴らしいオンラインセミナーを予定しています。まず、Elsyung Consultingのエルシー・ユン氏が、プロフェッショナルな女性としての強力なパーソナルブランドを構築、維持するための専門的なアドバイスをご紹介します。

第2弾のイベントでは、宇宙、テクノロジー、医学の分野で活躍されている方々にご登壇いただき、コロナ後により進んだ男女平等の世界をどのように構築していくかをパネルディスカッション形式でお話いただきます。山崎直子氏は、日本人女性で2人目の宇宙飛行士であり、現在はスペースポートジャパンの代表理事を務めています。富坂美織氏は医学博士であり、順天堂大学医学部産婦人科教室非常勤講師勤め、女性の健康問題を強く訴えています。また、コロナ時代よりもずっと前から男性の育児休暇取得を奨励したり、フレキシブルワークを導入したりと、社内でも多くの改革を行ってきたサイボウズ株式会社代表取締役社長の青野慶久氏は、結婚後の選択的夫婦別姓を認める法律改正を提唱し続け、ご活躍されています。

また、2011年に起こったクライストチャーチ地震と東日本大震災から今年で10年を迎え、私たちの多くの人にとって忘れられない特別な日です。これらの悲劇が起こってからもう10年が経過したとは信じがたいことですが、私たちの心の中には今もなおコミュニティが存在しています。私たちは2月22日にクライストチャーチ震災を追悼し、3月には東北でお亡くなりになった方々のために同じく追悼の集会を行う予定です。東京にお住まいの方は、3月11日に港区の芝公園で開催される追悼集会を、ソーシャルディスタンスを保ち、静かに行う予定ですのでどうぞ参加ください。

では、皆様にお会いできるのを楽しみにしています。

Sally Townsend
サリー・タウンゼンド

Events

International Women's Week Events

Join ANZCCJ for our week-long celebrations to mark International Women’s Day 2021! Starting up your own business is challenging for most entrepreneurs, but women can sometimes come up against further difficulties due to ingrained social expectations and lack of support resources addressing their needs. How can female business owners establish and maintain a strong personal brand to help their business stand out within the startup landscape?

On Wednesday 3 March, ANZCCJ are pleased to invite members and friends to an exclusive online event featuring ANZCCJ SME Member Elsie Yung of Elsyung Consulting, who will share her insights into developing a professional personal brand and establishing your professional network.

Building your own Professional Brand 

Date: Wednesday 3 March

Time: 12:00 - 13:00 JST

Speaker: Elsie Yung, Founder - Elsyung Consulting

Moderator: Gerard Adams, Kirin Holdings/ANZCCJ Executive Council

Click here for details and registration.

Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world | リーダーシップを発揮する⼥性たち：コロナ禍の世界で平等な未来を実現する

3月5日(金)のオンラインイベントでは、今年の国際⼥性デーのテーマである「リーダーシップを発揮する⼥性たち：コロナ禍の世界で平等な未来を実現する」について、3⼈のSTEM分野のリーダーと変⾰を提唱する⼈たちによるオンラインパネルディスカッションを開催します。新型コロナウイルス感染拡⼤が社会全体に未曾有の危機をもたらし、既存にある多くの社会問題（特にジェンダーに基づく不平等）を悪化させています。⼥性の就業率が⾼い接客業や医療現場などでの感染リスクも⾼くなり、多くの雇⽤も失われています。また、⼦どもたちのオンライン学習や家庭⽣活での家事を任されるという、さらなる負担を背負うこともあります。しかし同時に、ニュージーランドをはじめとする多くの国がパンデミックへの対応に成功している理由の⼀つとして、⼥性のリーダーシップが挙げられています。

このパネルディスカッションでは、スピーカーの⽅がジェンダーに基づく障壁を乗り越えてSTEM分野のリーダーになった経緯や、科学技術がコロナ禍からの復興をどのようにリードしていくのかについてのご意⾒、そしてこの⼤きな変化の時期が、平等な未来を実現するためにどのように私たちを⽀援してくれるのかを話し合い、在⽇オーストラリア・ニュージーランド⼈をはじめ、⽇本でのジェンダーに基づく不平等に苦しむ⽅にとって何かヒントになれば幸いです。

申込はこちらからお願いします。

【詳細】
・日時：3月5日(金) 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (日本時間)
・場所：オンライン (Zoom)
・参加費：無料（どなたでも参加できます）
・言語：全編日本語

【パネリスト】
・⻘野 慶久 - サイボウズ株式会社 代表取締役社⻑
・富坂 美織 - 産婦⼈科、医学博⼠
・山崎 直子 - Space Port Japan 代表理事
（敬称略

【進行】

・伊藤暁弘 - ANZCCJオペレーションズマネージャー

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought with it myriad new challenges, while also compounding numerous pre-existing social issues; particularly gender-based inequality. Women have been disproportionately represented among at-risk sectors such as hospitality and healthcare, impacted by job losses, and have often carried the additional burdens of overseeing children’s online schooling and housework in their home lives. Yet at the same time, female leadership has been heralded as one reason many countries, such as New Zealand, have performed so well in their response to the pandemic.

In this panel discussion, we will hear how our speakers have overcome gender- based barriers to become leaders in STEM, their thoughts on how science and technology can lead the way forward in our COVID-19 recovery, and how this period of great change can assist us in achieving an equal future.

Click here for details and registration.

Date: 5th Mar 2021 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (JST)
Location：Online (Zoom)
Language：Japanese

Speakers:

• Dr. Miori Tomisaka, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, M.D.; Juntendo University - Associate Professor
• Ms. Naoko Yamazaki, Space Port Japan – Representative Director, STS-131 Astronaut onboard Discovery & ISS 
• Mr. Yoshihisa Aono, Cybozu Inc. – President and Founder

As we mark 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, which struck the coast of Tohoku in 2011, members and friends are welcome to join ANZCCJ for a quiet memorial service in Shiba Park on March 11, 2021. Although participation is free and open to all, we ask that you register your details so we can ensure sufficient social distancing on the day.

Please click here for details and registration.

WaNavi - Earthquake Preparedness Workshop

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster, WaNavi Japan is hosting its Earthquake Preparedness Workshop on Monday, March 1st, 2021 10:30-12:00.

WaNavi Japan is a nonprofit organization comprising professionals of many nationalities living in Japan. They come from diverse backgrounds with expertise in education, business, marketing, research, international cooperation, technology, and law.

10 years ago, WaNavi Japan hosted a charity workshop on earthquake preparedness to a small group of international residents who were frightened and desperate for information on disaster preparedness. Since then, they have reached out to thousands of international residents around Japan to empower them to live safely and comfortably in Japan. 
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster, WaNavi would like to honor those we lost and the lessons they have left behind. We would also like to ask everyone to take this opportunity to educate and empower themselves and their loved ones on the topic of disaster preparedness.

Click here for registration.

News

Welcoming Ian Scott to the ANZCCJ Executive Council

Following the recent resignation of Elizabeth Cox, we are pleased to welcome Ian Scott to the Executive Council. As the next most successful candidate at the 2020 ANZCCJ Annual General Meeting, Ian was re-elected to the Executive Council under the ANZCCJ Constitution Article 6.9.

We look forward to continue working with Ian and reconnecting with Elizabeth Cox when she returns to Japan in a new role later this year!

Please click here to learn more about the ANZCCJ Executive Council.

Ten-year Anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake

Monday 22 February marked the 10^th anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake, which struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand and the country’s second-most populous city in 2011. 185 precious lives were lost, among them 28 Japanese language students studying in the CTV Building.

Hundreds gathered for a memorial service at the Christchurch Memorial Wall and garden, pausing for a minute of silence and laying wreaths in remembrance of the victims. In her speech, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also spoke of the future, saying "As we look ahead to the coming decade, I see hope and energy and optimism, and I see Christchurch taking its rightful place amongst New Zealand’s best and brightest cities"

Our thoughts are with the city of Christchurch, the victims and their loved ones.

TIER Committee Launch Series

Green Technology: How is New Zealand innovation mitigating the effects of climate change?

For the second event in the TIER Committee Launch Series: ‘Green Technology : How is New Zealand innovation mitigating the effects of climate change?’, ANZCCJ were pleased to  invite three field experts in the New Zealand-Japan green technology industry to join us in discussing recent and future developments between the two countries.

Moderator Nitin Mehra (Japan Country Head of Plexure) introduced the panel speakers – Wayne Mulligan (CEO of NZ Bio Forstry), Aya Inagaki (Project Manager of Halcyon Power Limited) and John Worth (Managing Director & CEO of GEO40), who each shared great insights in the future of green technology in the context of TIER. 

Each believed that businesses in the Australia/New Zealand-Japan space could play a significant role in helping all three countries achieve a greater, more sustainable future. Aya Inagaki shared with the audience on the prospect of Project H – aimed at producing green hydrogen not only within New Zealand, but also expanding to Japan and other regions, “bringing together talented people from different parts of the world, including Belgium, Japan, Australia and New Zealand”. John Worth also shared his insights on green technology and GEO40’s mission, stating “a sustainable future relies upon sustainable future minerals”. He added that there continues to be enormous opportunities for New Zealand companies to help Japan move toward an increased focus on renewable.

When asked about the key success factors that could help Japan achieve carbon neutrality, Wayne Mulligan added, “the real innovation is about building really smart business models and democratising those to get it out there to the market”. Contributions from and models from New Zealand could accelerate other parties, such as Japan, to achieve a more sustainable future worldwide.

Visit the TIER website to access presentation slides from speakers Wayne Mulligan and John Worth.

Click here to view the video message from H.E. Hamish Cooper, New Zealand Ambassador to Japan.

Intern Profile - Cindy Gu

Welcome to our New Members

Individual  Members

- Fumiko Watanabe

- Nobuyuki Miyaguni

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