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Past BCCJ Responsible Business Events
The story behind the Oxford vaccine
April 23, 2021
On April 7, British Chamber of Commerce in Japan members heard from Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, a vaccine research group within the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford.
As chief investigator of the global trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19, Pollard shared the story behind the vaccine and answered questions from attendees.
Read More HERE
Sustainability in Careers
April 9, 2021
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ), the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and Temple University, Japan Campus teamed up on March 29 to co-host a webinar entitled “Sustainability in Careers: Working for a Better Tomorrow.” Panellists from academia, business and the not-for-profit sectors shared insights into how sustainability might become an integral part of everyone’s working life, both in the short and long term.
Read more HERE
The biodiversity crisis and the corporate response
With commitments from several countries to tackle green issues as part of their COVID-19 recovery and a number of environmental conventions scheduled, 2021 has been dubbed “the super year for tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.”
The case to do so has never been stronger but difficulties in measuring biodiversity targets, mobilising political will and raising awareness among the public are among the obstacles facing organisations, said experts at a webinar hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan on January 14. Six representatives from government, business and the not-for-profit sector spoke at the online event entitled “The Biodiversity Crisis and the Corporate Response.”
Read more HERE
Rolls-Royce: leaping to net zero
October 23, 2020
Representatives of Rolls-Royce joined a British Chamber of Commerce in Japan webinar on October 20 to outline the industrial technology firm’s leaps towards net-zero carbon. They shared how Rolls-Royce is driving the use of more environmentally sustainable technologies in its three operating divisions: civil aerospace, power systems and defence. In addition, it is pursuing pioneering green ideas; namely, the electrification of aviation, the use of small modular reactors and the development of sustainable aviation fuels. These ideas, said Paul Stein, chief technology officer, are the “acorns for new businesses.”
Read more HERE
Travel and Tourism Think Tank II: Tourism and Resilience
September 25, 2020
Representatives of Rolls-Royce joined a British Chamber of Commerce in Japan webinar on October 20 to outline the industrial technology firm’s leaps towards net-zero carbon. They shared how Rolls-Royce is driving the use of more environmentally sustainable technologies in its three operating divisions: civil aerospace, power systems and defence. In addition, it is pursuing pioneering green ideas; namely, the electrification of aviation, the use of small modular reactors and the development of sustainable aviation fuels. These ideas, said Paul Stein, chief technology officer, are the “acorns for new businesses.”
Read more HERE
Responsible Business Forum: Decarbonization and Planet
September 17, 2020
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) kicked off the first of its two-part Responsible Business Forum on September 17, with an online session titled Decarbonization and Planet. The event featured remarks on the UK government’s approach to decarbonization, followed by a panel discussion and small-group discussions exploring challenges related to tackling climate change and how they might be overcome. In welcoming attendees, Tove Kinooka, director of sustainability integration consultancy Global Perspectives, said the session’s interactivity reflected the collaborative approach needed to achieve a greener future.
Read more HERE
COVID-19: Back to Better Work
June 19, 2020
As Japan begins to return to the office following the government’s lifting of work-from-home requests, industry experts of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) have offered advice on how firms can make a smooth transition. In a webinar on June 10 moderated by BCCJ Vice President Alison Beale, the panellists discussed business considerations such as strategy, office design, communications, legal and sales, and suggested how firms can offer their people the chance to go “back to better work.”
Read full round-up HERE
COVID-19: economic impact and recovery
June 12, 2020
Having been spared the ravages of COVID-19 seen in Europe and the United States, Japan can expect economic hardship in the short and medium term, but could use the crisis as a catalyst for good in the long term. That is the assessment of Takuji Okubo, north Asia director of the Economist Corporate Network, who addressed members of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) in a webinar on June 9. He was joined in the session by colleague Dimitry Rakin, associate director of north Asia, and moderator Naomi Davies, economic counsellor at the British Embassy, Tokyo.
Read full round-up HERE
COVID-19 and responsible business
May 1, 2020
With COVID-19 acting as a major disruptor to firms, communities and cities worldwide, organisations have an opportunity to avoid a return to the status quo, instead choosing a better future for people and planet. That is according to British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) Responsible Taskforce members who delivered a webinar on April 22. Tove Kinooka, co-founder and director of sustainability consultancy Global Perspectives, and Heather McLeish, director at EY Japan, discussed how the crisis might influence the responsible business agenda.
Read full round-up HERE
Japan’s labour laws – Overtime caps, equal pay and COVID-19-induced dismissals
April 20, 2020
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) kicked off its Webinar Week—one webinar each day for five consecutive workdays—on April 16 with an online session on Japan’s recent labour law amendments. Work-style reform legislation, designed to improve the working environment and work–life balance of all workers, was passed in 2018. Changes included the introduction of caps on overtime for the first time, which came into effect for large firms on April 1, 2019 and small and medium-sized firms on April 1, 2020.
Read full round-up HERE
The Climate Crisis and Business
December 6, 2019
With climate an increasingly everyday consideration for people worldwide, members of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) met on November 21 to discuss the risks and opportunities it poses for business. The interactive workshop, “Tackling the Climate Crisis,” was part of the BCCJ’s 5.0 Project, which advocates the adoption of responsible business, digital & tech innovation and diversity & inclusion for sustainable business growth in Japan and the UK. BCCJ Executive Committee member Tove Kinooka opened the event by encouraging attendees to think of the planet as a delicate ecosystem that is affected by both single and cumulative changes within it. Actions by individuals, teams, companies and nations therefore can have a knock-on impact across borders.
Read full round-up HERE
Building a Sustainable Workplace
April 17, 2019
“Sustainable development is designed to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, said Hogan Lovells’ Aragon St-Charles as he explained the need for individuals and corporations to operate more sustainably. As operations manager, he had responsibility for the complete design and outfitting of the firm’s new green facilities.
Read full round-up HERE
Embracing the Green Finance Revolution
April 4, 2019
Green finance is undergoing a revolution, as British banks such as Barclays lead the nation’s charge for global leadership with products ranging from green bonds to mortgages and trade loans. And, with the recent launch of Green Finance Network Japan, Tokyo is also starting to embrace the global trend. Bankers and environmentalists may seem strange bedfellows, but not according to Theodore Roosevelt IV, managing director in Investment Banking at Barclays’ New York office. He spoke on green finance at an event organised by the BCCJ in association with the ACCJ’s Alternative Investment Committee.
Read full round-up HERE
Responsible Luxury
February 21, 2018
The luxury goods sector of the British economy accounts for 8% of total exports, contributes more in taxes than horse racing and the Premier League, and despite global uncertainties is growing year on year. Defined by names such as Dunhill, Burberry, Jo Malone, Cunard, and Aston Martin, the UK luxury market is known for top-tier brands across multiple sectors, from fashion and jewellery, to automotive and travel, and hospitality to interiors.
Read full round-up HERE
