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Speech by JAMA Vice-Chairman Takao Suzuki
JAMA Canada Reception
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.
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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