Senior METI Official Hails 'Borderless' Automobile Industry
TOKYO--Oct. 23, 2001--Speaking on the opening day of the Tokyo International Automotive Conference 2001, Keiji Furuya, Senior Vice Minister of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), hailed the globalization of the automobile industry, noting that the industry's major manufacturers are now all "global corporations," whose management and business activities transcend national boundaries.
Held for the first time in Tokyo, the conference, which is sponsored by Nikkei Business Magazine, gathered together top automobile industry executives from the U.S., the E.U., and Japan. Among those attending were Mr. Richard Wagoner, CEO of GM, Mr. J.T. Battenberg III, CEO of Delphi Automotive Systems, and Mr. Fujio Cho, president of Toyota.
"Times have changed," said Mr. Furuya in his remarks. "In the 1980s and 90s there were frequent international trade disputes involving the auto industry. Now, the national identities of auto companies have faded, and auto manufacturers are developing their business on a global scale without regard to national boundaries." He went on to assert that "in today's automotive industry, the concept of 'American,' 'European,' or 'Japanese' corporations has disappeared, and it is no exaggeration to say there are now only global corporations that conduct business in the U.S., the E.U., and Japan." He observed that the gathering of the industry's top leaders from around the world at the Tokyo conference was a "pivotal event" that "symbolized the changes that have occurred in the industry."
To address the policy issues arising from the globalization of the automobile industry, the governments of Japan and the United States last week announced an agreement to create a Japan-U.S. Automotive Consultation Group (ACG).
Mr. Furuya took the opportunity to announce that in the next fiscal year Japan will start its public road testing program for fuel cell vehicles, and he appealed to the industry's leaders to participate in this program. In taking this initiative, Japan hopes to accelerate the practical use of fuel cell vehicles, Mr. Furuya said.
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