German-Japanese Economic Forum Breaks Participation Record

... on May 28, 2018 in the Hotel Interconti in Düsseldorf attracted 350 participants. Under the theme “The Future of Automobility – Technological Innovations of Germany and Japan,” high-caliber speakers from top German and Japanese enterprises introduced their innovations and plans for the future of automobility.

The keynote address was delivered by the representatives of German and Japanese automobile umbrella organizations. Arndt G. Kirchhoff, vice president of the Association of the Automobile Industry (VDA), started off with the radical changes to be expected by suppliers in Germany through digitalization and electromobility. In the following keynote, Shinishiro Oka, General Director of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), introduced Japan’s impressive vision for the future of mobility.

Mariko Feldmann, Deputy Director of Toyota Motor Europe, introduced the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 concept, the goal of which is to achieve zero-emission in the entire automobile cycle. Stefan Koetz, Chairman of the Executive Board for Ericsson, then presented industry-comprehensive examples of cooperation in the fields of research and development on the path towards 5G technology. Hiromi Nakafutami, General Manager of the R&D Center of Asahi Kasei in Dormagen, introduced technologies and solutions in the areas of lightweight construction, tire design, and applications for car batteries and hydrogen. The newest contributions to the topic of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems were presented by Uwe Westmeyer, the Solution Manager of Renesas Electronics Corporation. The Vice President of Streetscooter, Dr. Jörg Salomon, delivered a report on the experiences of electric vehicles in continuous operation, with a look into how the startup grew to become the largest project in electromobility in Germany. Dr. Reinholf Achatz, CTO, closed out with a report on the numerous Best-Practice examples of ThyssenKrupp within the realm of automotive, and informed about automobility within the framework of energy use, and the resulting new possibilities.

The Business Day was opened by Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Economic Innovation, Digitalization, and Energy of North Rhine Westphalia, Mayor Thomas Geisel, the Japanese Consul General Ryuta Mizuuchi, and the President of the Japanese Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Düsseldorf (IHK), Akinori Okumura.

The German-Japanese Economic Forum is a collaborative event between the Ministry of Economics, Digitalization, Innovation, and Energy of NRW, NRW.INVEST GmbH, Japan-Day of Düsseldorf/NRW e.V. represented by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Düsseldorf (IHK) e.V., and the City of Düsseldorf. Partners supporting the event are the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Düsseldorf (IHK), and the German-Japanese Business Circle (DJW). Against the backdrop of the largest Japanese business presence in Düsseldorf and in North Rhine Westphalia, which is the largest business community in Continental Europe, German-Japanese Economic Forum has offered since 2002 a unique platform for an economic exchange on current topics.