New Year Greetings from DISG Task Force Chair

Dear Readers,

I would like to send you hearty New Year's wishes from all of us at DISG Secretariat. The year 2020 was an unprecedented year for everyone in the world including both ASEAN and Japan, but at the same time, we have come together and begun to overcome the difficulties so as to make our region more resilient and prosperous. Last year was surely the darkest moment before the dawn. I believe our continuous efforts will realise brighter year to come and even closer and deeper ASEAN-Japan relationship, and we can contribute to it by making our DISG more active and fruitful. Your continuous support and participation are truly appreciated. May the year 2021 bring greater hope and joy to you.

Stay safe and well,
Mr. KOBAYASHI Hirokazu
Chair of AMEICC DISG Task Force
Executive Director, JETRO Singapore

Newsletter Contents:

• The 3rd DISG Webinar of the Series: “Upgrading Healthcare Quality in ASEAN with Digitalization”
• ASEAN-focused special programs were included in Japan’s third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020
• 2nd ASEAN-Japan Smart Cities Network High Level Meeting

We held the 3rd DISG webinar of the series entitled “Upgrading Healthcare Quality in ASEAN with Digitalization” on December 15th, 2020. In that webinar, key figures from ASEAN and Japan shared their strategies and activities as well as the importance of accelerating open innovation and more.

We are also delighted to tell you that “Financial Support Program for Strengthening Asia Digital Transformation (ADX)” and “Program for Strengthening Overseas Supply Chains” were included in Japan’s third supplementary budget which was approved by the Cabinet on December 15th, 2020. The programs are expected to drive further ASEAN-Japan economic cooperation and collaboration.

Another highlight of December was the Second ASEAN-Japan Smart Cities Network High Level Meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan held on December 16th, 2020. The meeting brought together the SecretaryGeneral of ASEAN, representatives of 10 ASEAN Member States, those of the 26 cities chosen for the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN), and those of Japanese companies, municipalities, and governmental organizations.

The 3rd DISG Webinar of the Series:
“Upgrading Healthcare Quality in ASEAN with Digitalization”

The DISG webinar continued the series with the 3rd Webinar of the series: “Upgrading Healthcare Quality in ASEAN with Digitalization” on December 15th, 2020. In this webinar, key figures shared their strategies and activities as well as the importance of accelerating open innovation. Furthermore, they discussed what benefits would be brought to relevant players and how to apply various innovative projects in our society, and what ASEAN can expect from Japan and how Japan should respond to it, and vice versa.

We welcomed the opening remarks from H.E Mr. Kung Phoak, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, in which he explained the long-standing relationship between ASEAN and Japan and the importance of digitalization in the sector as well as international collaboration.

Then, Mr. Inamura Takuma, the Director of METI Healthcare Industries Division, delivered a keynote speech about the issues of the aging population and the solutions to turn the problem into opportunities with innovations and improvement of the healthcare system. After the keynote speech, a panel discussion was held with three additional panelists; Ms. Janice Chia from Ageing Asia, Mr. Sakano Teppei from Allm Inc., and Mr. Saito Takeshi from IHH Healthcare and 2 moderators; Dr. Helmi Zakariah, Digital Health Advisor to Selangor State Government of Malaysia, and Mr. Koshiba Michikazu from Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting. After the introduction of the panelists’ activities, they discussed three topics; 1) Sharing the current situation and pain points of ASEAN health care sectors, 2) Accelerating inclusive digital transformation in the field of healthcare and medicine, and 3) Enhancing ASEAN-Japan economic cooperation in the field of medical and healthcare.

Please see here for further details of contents

ASEAN-focused special programs were included in Japan’s third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020

On December 15th, 2020, the Cabinet of Japan approved the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to finance the government's latest economic package aimed at ensuring the coronavirus-stricken economy stays on a recovery track. In the third supplementary budget, two ASEAN-focused special programs were included those were introduced in the previous our monthly newsletters, 1) Financial Support Program for Strengthening Asia Digital Transformation (ADX) and 2) Financial Support Program for Strengthening Overseas Supply Chains. The budget for each activity is 0.66 billion JPY and 11.67 billion JPY, respectively. AMEICC Secretariat would take a main role of implementation of these two programs.

We believe these additional programs would reflect Japan’s strong and continuous commitment on economic cooperation with ASEAN countries and companies in the region.

2nd ASEAN-Japan Smart Cities Network High Level Meeting

Mr. Munekiyo Koichi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan delivered a speech for the opening ceremony (Photo: METI*1)
*1 https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2020/1217_001.html

On December 16th, 2020, the Second ASEAN-Japan Smart Cities Network High Level Meeting was held, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan (MLIT). The meeting brought together the Secretary-General of ASEAN, representatives of 10 ASEAN Member States, including vice-minister and director-general level officials responsible for infrastructure, those of the 26 cities chosen for the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) and those of Japanese companies, municipalities, and governmental organizations, aiming to encourage these economies and cities to cooperate further through ASCN.

As a representative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI), Mr. Munekiyo Koichi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, delivered a speech for the opening ceremony. He explained METI’s support measures for propelling the smart city projects and also expressed his hopes for further expansion of ASEAN-Japan cooperation, referring to case examples of Japan’s cooperation initiatives and rule-making for data flows in ASEAN Member States.

Editorial Note

We thank everyone for your interest and support. Please look forward to the future webinar series and information dissemination through newsletters and our website, social media, etc.

The next webinar will be announced shortly. The detail and registration process would be announced soon via email and on our website and social media.

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Mr. KOBAYASHI Hirokazu
Chair of AMEICC DISG Task Force
Executive Director, JETRO Singapore