Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan [Friday, Oct 14, 2016]
Japan-Mongolia Summit Meeting
On October 14, commencing at 3:15 p.m. for approximately 50 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, held a Japan-Mongolia Summit Meeting with H.E. Mr. Jargaltulga Erdenebat, Prime Minister of Mongolia. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. Bilateral relations
(1) Prime Minister Abe welcomed that Prime Minister Erdenebat chose Japan for his first bilateral visit since being appointed as Prime Minister in July this year.
(2) The two leaders reconfirmed that Japan and Mongolia are regional partners that share fundamental values, along with sharing the view that the two countries’ economic and trade relationship will deepen as a result of steadily implementing the Japan-Mongolia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which took effect in June this year (http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press3e_000062.html). They also confirmed that they will pursue cooperation in a broad range of fields, such as agriculture, the environment, and renewable energies.
(3) Furthermore, the two leaders shared the view that based on the understanding that was reached at a summit meeting in July this year (http://www.mofa.go.jp/a_o/c_m1/mn/page3e_000510.html#section3) to formulate a new action plan in place of the current mid-term action plan, they will expedite work on formulating the plan and develop the strategic partnership between Japan and Mongolia into a more mutually beneficial relationship.
2. Cooperation in the international arena
(1) North Korea situation
Prime Minister Abe stated that North Korea’s nuclear and missile (http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/n_korea/nuclear/index.html) programs represent a new level of threat that requires an unprecedented response and therefore, the international community has to send a strong message that it will not tolerate any further provocative actions, and he hopes to collaborate with Mongolia on the adoption of a Security Council resolution, which includes new sanctions. Prime Minister Abe also reconfirmed Mongolia’s cooperation on promptly resolving the abductions issue. The two leaders shared the view that they will cooperate on responding to North Korea in the future also.
(2) Cooperation at the United Nations (UN)
The two leaders shared the view that they will continue to collaborate closely on UN Security Council reform.
(Reference) The new action plan between Japan and Mongolia
1. At a summit meeting in September 2013, an agreement was reached between the two countries on the Japan-Mongolia Mid-term Action Plan for a Strategic Partnership. This partnership will strengthen and advance the mutually beneficial and mutually complementary relationship for the purpose of further strengthening the strategic partnership that the two countries agreed on in 2010.
2. At a meeting with Prime Minister Erdenebat (http://www.mofa.go.jp/a_o/c_m1/mn/page3e_000510.html#section3) that Prime Minister Prime Minister Abe held when visiting Mongolia in July 2016 (http://www.mofa.go.jp/a_o/c_m1/mn/page3e_000510.html), the two leaders agreed to formulate the new action plan to replace the current mid-term action plan.
Photograph of the leaders shaking hands (1) 
Photograph of the salute and the guard of honor 
Photograph of the Japan-Mongolia Summit Meeting 
Photograph of the joint press announcement
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry [Tuesday, Oct 18, 2016]
INVEST JAPAN Forum 2016 Held
On October 7 (Fri.), 2016, INVEST JAPAN Forum 2016 was held, organized by Nikkei, Inc. with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Cabinet Office (CAO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The forum brought together over 350 people from overseas companies and companies developing business in Japan that are interested in direct investment in Japan as well as from Japanese companies, municipalities and other entities that are interested in collaboration with overseas companies.
1. Background to the forum
In the Japan Revitalization Strategy, the government of Japan set the goal for the total direct investment balance into Japan at 35 trillion yen in 2020, and has been encouraging overseas companies to invest further in Japan. To achieve the goal, the forum communicated Japan’s current, proactive efforts to attract overseas companies and also introduced the efforts and support made available by the government of Japan and other entities, Japan’s successful case examples and attractive features as a business operation site in an aim to foster the domestic momentum for attracting direct investment in Japan.
2. Summary of the outcomes
1) Opening remarks
At the beginning of the forum, Mr. Toshinao Nakagawa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, delivered opening remarks as a representative of the various organizers. He stated that both foreign direct investment in Japan and utilization of oversea countries’ superior business resources are indispensable for economic growth in Japan and that as the Abenomics policies have been improving the investment environment, Japan will continue to advance working style, regulatory and administrative procedural reform, aiming to achieve the goal of Japan as the most business-friendly country in the world. Furthermore, he also communicated that Japan will promote efforts for encouraging innovation toward the fourth industrial revolution, and called on the participants for investment in Japan.
2) Speeches
Representatives from a variety of sectors delivered speeches, including representatives from overseas companies developing business in Japan, a prominent researcher in Japan, the head of a municipality, and chairpersons of JETRO and the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN (SME Support, JAPAN), introducing Japan’s attractive features as an investment target from a variety of standpoints and experiences.
Speakers (in the order of speeches delivered)
Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, Chairman & CEO, JETRO
Mr. Tommy Leong, Zone President, East Asia & Japan, Schneider Electric
Mr. Alain Combier, Vice President, North East Asia Cluster, Air Liquide Group
Mr. Koichi Tanaka, Senior Fellow, Shimadzu Corporation
Ms. Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo
Mr. Hiroshi Takada, Chairman & CEO, SME Support, JAPAN
3) Talk session
Focusing on the topic “Factors for Success in Alliances between Foreign Enterprises and Japanese Small/Medium Sized Enterprises,” the forum introduced cases of collaboration between Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd. and Boeing International and between Fuji Industrial Technique Co., Ltd. and Atlas Copco KK Japan. In addition, a talk session was held, with the representatives from these companies as panelists.
Panelists
Mr. Hiroyuki Hagimoto, CEO & Chairman, Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd.
Mr. Brett C. Gerry, President, Boeing Japan
Mr. Kotoku Fujiwara, General Manager, Fuji Industrial Technique Co., Ltd.
Mr. Thomas Östergren, Representative Director, Atlas Copco KK Japan
4) Reception
A reception was held as a business-matching and networking opportunity for participants in the forum, including decision makers in charge of investment in overseas companies and those developing business in Japan, business operators of domestic mid-ranking companies and SMEs that are interested in collaboration with overseas companies, and related officials from municipalities engaged in efforts to attract overseas companies. Mr. Motome Takisawa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered opening remarks to begin the reception.
3. Summary of the forum
Date and time:
October 7 (Fri.), 2016
Forum:
13:00-16:20; Reception: 16:30-18:30
Venue:
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
Organizer:
Nikkei Inc.
Co-organizers:
METI, CAO, MOFA, and JETRO
Opening remarks (METI Parliamentary Vice-Minister Nakagawa) 
A scene from the forum
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry [Wednesday, Oct 19, 2016]
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for IoT Cooperation between Japan and the United States Concluded
On October 3, 2016, the IoT Acceleration Consortium (ITAC) concluded memorandums of understanding (MOU) for IoT cooperation respectively with the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and with OpenFog Consortium, the United States. Japan will accelerate activity toward the realization of the fourth industrial revolution through advancing these efforts in the field of IoT.
1. Background
Following the inauguration of the ITAC, a framework for collaboration between the government, industry and academia sectors in Japan, in October 2015, ITAC has been holding discussions with IIC and OpenFog Consortium concerning international collaboration in the field of IoT, and has realized concrete outcomes in the form of the conclusions of the MOUs for IoT cooperation with each of the entities.
2. Key points of the memorandums
ITAC and IIC will implement demonstration projects for each field based on common architectures and promote initiatives for standardization based on such projects. (For details, see Appendix 1.)
ITAC and OpenFog Consortium will implement demonstration projects focused on distributed computing and promote initiatives and other efforts for standardization in anticipation of IoT solutions in the fields in which real-time or bulk data processing is required, in particular. (For details, see Appendix 2.)
References:
1. IoT Acceleration Consortium (ITAC)
ITAC was inaugurated in October 2015 in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), as a framework for handling products and services in the realm of the fourth industrial revolution brought about with the implementation of IoT, big data and artificial intelligence and to facilitate the utilization of such achievements within the government, industry and academic sectors despite the borders between companies and industries. There are approximately 2,400 ITAC member companies as of October 2016. Specifically, the consortium has been promoting efforts with the goal of developing and demonstrating IoT-related technologies and creating new business models through the operation of multiple working groups.
2. Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC)
IIC was inaugurated in March 2014 by five initial member companies in the United States: AT&T, CISCO, GE, IBM and Intel. It advances the implementation of IoT-based industrial products and services in industrial markets.
3. OpenFog Consortium
OpenFog Consortium was inaugurated in November 2015 mainly by ARM, CISCO, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Princeton University and other entities. It promotes efforts for developing open architecture and distributed (processing) computing, or fog computing technology.
Signing ceremony concluding a memorandum of understanding for IoT cooperation between ITAC and IIC 
Signing ceremony concluding a memorandum of understanding for IoT cooperation between ITAC and OpenFog Consortium