Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, has urged the European Union not to exclude Japanese-made vehicles from preferential treatment under its proposed Industrial Accelerator Act. “We hope that (the proposed act) will not hinder Japan-EU cooperation, including cooperation between Japan and Germany,” Tsutsui said in a speech at the German-Japanese Business Summit in Tokyo on Wednesday. Germany and France have announced plans to limit preferential treatment in the automotive sector to EU member states and other eligible countries under the proposed act, which would favor products made within the EU in public procurement and through subsidies. In a keynote speech at the business forum, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the partnership between Japan and Germany was becoming increasingly important amid the severe security environment, including conflicts in the Middle East. Merz described dialogue between the EU and the member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, a Japan-led free trade pact for the Asia-Pacific region, as a step in the right direction. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
