On The Occasion of the webinar organized by the Sri Lanka –Japan Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce “Beyond Covid-19: business opportunities in Japan”

　　
Mr. Merrick Gooneratne, the President of the Sri Lanka–Japan Business Council
His Excellency Sanjiv Gunasekera, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan.
Dr. Shigeru Yamato, Business Development Consultant
Dr. Rohan Pallewatte, Executive Chairman, Lanka Harness Co. (Pvt) Ltd.
Mr. Dinesh Saparamadu, Vice President of the SLJBC,
Mr. Athulla Edirisinghe, Committee Member of the SLJBC,
Distinguished Members of the SLJBC,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


Good Afternoon, Ayu Bowan, Wanakkam,こんにちは

    It is my great honor to participate in this webinar “Beyond Covid-19: Business Opportunities in Japan”. At the outset, I would like to commend Mr. Merrick Gooneratne, the President of the Sri Lanka–Japan Business Council and his team for organizing this event despite the continuing unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19.
 
    The Sri Lanka–Japan Business Council was established in 1979 by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Since its inception, the Council has contributed to promoting trade, investment and tourism between Sri Lanka and Japan for more than four decades. I am therefore confident that under the leadership of Mr. Gooneratne, the SLJBC will make valuable contributions to further strengthening business relations between our two countries in the post COVID-19 economic recovery.
 
    Regrettably, the COVID 19 pandemic still continues to prevent us from leading a normal life, especially because of the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant.  The immediate challenge facing us all is containing the spread of the COVID-19.  Recently, Japan has donated about 1.4M doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Sri Lanka through the COVAX facility in response to HE Mr. President’s personal request to Prime Minister Suga. In addition, Japan has been extending grant aid and technical assistance in cooperation with UN organizations in the amount of USD 16.2M, including provision of medical equipment, improvement of the cold chain system, and assistance to returned migrant workers.  I would like to assure you that Japan will continue to stand in solidarity with Sri Lanka in fighting against the COVID 19.
 
    With vaccination campaigns gathering pace in many countries including Sri Lanka and people’s adherence to health guidelines, we may be starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel in near future. Therefore, we should start to think about how we can overcome multi-faceted negative impacts caused by COVID 19 and move forward.  In this sense, this webinar’s topic "Beyond COVID-19: Business Opportunities in Japan” is very timely and should be of great interest to all of us.
 
    The COVID-19 has had a serious impact on Japan-Sri Lanka economic relations.  According to the annual report of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s export to Japan decreased from USD 283 million in 2019 to USD 188 million in 2020.  Japan’s export to Sri Lanka decreased from USD 875 million to USD 528 million during the same period. I firmly believe that this trend will be turned around with the global efforts to contain the COVID-19 and the untiring efforts of the business communities of Japan and Sri Lanka. Then, what will be opportunities beyond COVID-19 for business development between Japan and Sri Lanka?
 
    The COVID-19 pandemic made governments and business communities of many countries, including Japan, realize that it is imperative to establish a reliable and sustainable supply system by diversifying production bases, especially in Asia.  Excessive dependence on one particular source of supply involves the risk of supply disruption of critical goods in the event of an unexpected crisis like pandemic. I think that this trend will benefit Sri Lanka in diversifying its export products and destinations.
 
    As we all witness, “work from home” or “remote work” are becoming a new professional norm in many countries.    Japan and Sri Lanka are no exceptions and some say that this new work style will stay even after the pandemic.  The Cabinet Office of Japan conducted survey of the   implementation rate of telework in offices in Tokyo from April to May 2021. According to the survey, the implementation rate was 53.5%, nearly three times higher than in December 2019, just before the pandemic.  In addition, data centers in Japan, which were built in the 2000s during the time of so-called IT bubble, are getting obsolete and require renovation with new equipment in near future.  In view of these, my humble view is that Sri Lanka has good opportunities for expanding its export of electronic and digital devices as well as software to Japan.
 
    Furthermore, the shortage of essential healthcare goods like PPE, personal protective equipment, experienced due to the pandemic, drove home to many countries including Japan the urgent needs to diversify sources of supply of these goods.  As I understand, Sri Lanka has ample capacity to expand export of PPE, including high-quality rubber products, to meet the needs of countries like Japan which are now keenly aware of importance of preparedness for healthcare needs including pandemic.  The COVID-19 also further raised health consciousness of Japanese people.  Ayurveda-related products, which are already popular in Japan, may attract more customers.
 
    We must not forget Sri Lanka’s traditional export products to Japan, including tea and apparel products.  Recently, my colleague in Tokyo showed me a very heart-warming TV advertisement by a leading Japanese beverage company which has used Ceylon Tea for the past 35 years.  This advertisement, which is an anime in Sinhala with Japanese subtitles, features a young Sri Lankan lady who inherits a tea plantation from her father, who dedicated himself to producing high-quality tea in an environmentally sustainable manner.  “Ceylon Tea” is already an established brand of high-quality tea in Japan and still has a lot of potential to further develop the market by differentiating itself as quality and specialty tea.        
 
    As I discuss this important topic, I have come to think that SLJBC can benefit a great deal from an exchange of views with the Japanese counterpart on this subject.  As I understand, the Sri Lanka–Japan Business Council and the Japan-Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Committee have not held a meeting of the Business Cooperation Joint Committee since 2016.  I personally think that furthering Japan-Sri Lanka trade and investment relations after the COVID-19 will be a very appropriate subject for the next meeting, which may be online under the current circumstances.  I hope that the SLJBC will give some thought to this idea.
 
    As the title of this webinar aptly suggests, Japan and Sri Lanka should collaborate further in converting crisis into opportunities with many lessons learned from this pandemic. Japan will continue to deepen our dialogue and cooperation with Sri Lanka to promote trade and investment between our two countries while providing development assistance in response to the genuine development needs of the Sri Lankan people.
 
    Next year 2022 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.  Availing to the fullest the powerful momentum of this landmark year, we hope to further bolster our friendship in every spectrum, including, not least, our economic relations.
 
    Let me conclude my opening remarks by wishing this webinar a great success.
 
    Thank you very much for your kind attention. Bohoma Stutiyi.
    ありがとうございました。