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Westin Prince Hotel, Monday, October 23, 2000
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the kind introduction.
It is my great honour to be present at this reception with Ontario
Deputy Minister Barbara Miller and Consul General Hara, as well
as many other distinguished guests.
At the same time, it provides an opportunity I’ve long awaited,
to speak briefly about the globalization of the automobile industry
and JAMA’s overseas activities.
First, I will talk about the advancing globalization of the automobile
industry.
When one examines closely recent movements in the world automobile
industry, one thing stands out clearly. That is the ongoing spread
of international tie-ups and alliances among automakers. And the
membership of JAMA is no exception to this trend. In fact, I think
the keywords that best express the current trend in the automobile
industry is “International Realignment.” International realignments
seem to be the main factor generating the need for vast investments
by the automobile industry for the development of new technologies,
such as fuel cells and other projects. I believe that international
realignments are propelling the globalization of the industry.
The Japanese automobile industry commenced local production in
North America in the mid-1980s. This marked the real beginning of
globalization. At present, the industry is carrying out local production
in North America, the EU, Asia, and other regions worldwide. Last
year, overseas production by Japanese automakers amounted to six-point-five-million
(6.5 million) units. I believe that level of overseas production
is comparable in scale to production in Japan, which is around 10
million units. As such overseas activities increase, Japanese automakers
are working to move ahead with localization everywhere, including
the fostering of industry, the creation of jobs, and technology
transfer.
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As Chairman Nakatani mentioned in his remarks, local production
is expanding job opportunities in Canada. Since NAFTA took effect
in 1994, Canada has been gaining importance as a production base
for the North American market. And Japanese automakers are expected
to contribute further to the Canadian economy in the future.
Secondly, I would like to touch on JAMA’s overseas activities.
In view of the ongoing globalization of the automobile industry,
JAMA has been increasingly engaged in the key issue of encouraging
interchange with the automobile and parts industries of countries
around the world. Among JAMA’s international activities, technical
standards related to safety and the environment, and the international
harmonization of certification will play a great role in benefiting
consumers. JAMA is currently participating vigorously in activities
leading to the international harmonization of automobile technical
standards and certification at important forums such as the OICA
and the WP29.
At the same time, regulations and regulatory frameworks are not
uniform throughout the world in regard to environmental issues.
Here I refer to issues such as reductions of CO2 as a means of addressing
global warming, diesel emissions with the objective of reducing
particulates, and end-of-life vehicle recycling. It will be important
to ensure the international compatibility of such regulations and
regulatory frameworks, and I believe that doing so will require
a fair amount of interchange between the automobile industries of
countries worldwide.
I am aware that the Canadian economy is performing well, and there
are signs that the Japanese economy is coming out of a long slowdown
and gradually recovering.
In closing, I would like to say that this is an era that requires
ever-greater international coordination within the world automobile
industry. Centered on the activities of JAMA Canada, we at JAMA
look forward to continuing our interchange with the Canadian government
and automobile industry. Please accept my best wishes for a mutually
beneficial relationship.
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