INSIGHTS

At OBM, we are constantly gathering data and ideas from across the worlds of energy, mobility, health and technology to ensure up to the minute insights can be applied to your business opportunities.

Read below for a snapshot or get in touch if you have specific insights needs.

Green number plates – UK’s journey along the “Road to Zero”

23 June 2020

On the 16th June 2020, the UK Government announced plans to introduce a green number plate for new and existing zero emission vehicles.  It is hoped that this will boost awareness of the increasing adoption of ultra-low emission vehicles among the public and make clean vehicles easy for local authorities to distinguish. The UK has recognised the importance of zero emission vehicles for several years and hosted the first Zero Emission Vehicles Summit in 2018. This green number plate is in line with the UK’s “Road to Zero” strategy.



EU recovery plan focuses on the green economy

05 June 2020

On the 27th May, the European Commission released a major COVID-19 recovery plan with a significant focus on the European Green Deal and digitisation of the economy.

As part of the revised budget, the EU has created a Recovery and Resilience Facility of €560 billion which includes support for investments and reforms in line with the EU Green Deal, including renewable energy generation and hydrogen, smart mobility and the circular economy.

We are encouraged to see this recovery plan targeting CO2 reduction as well as economy stimulus. 




Changing Mobility in the UK

25 May 2020

Following the UK government’s guidelines to ease the lockdown, an interesting shift on mobility has emerged.  As the number of pedestrians and cyclists is expected to increase due to COVID-19 restrictions on public transport, London and other local towns and cities started announcing their plans to change street layout.  We believe many of them will stay as permanent measures and also accelerate the development of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) systems. If you are interested in researching or launching a project in this area, please let us know.



UK receives record levels of tech investment in 2019

19 Apr 2020

Outward looking tech investors in Japan may be interested to hear about the recent data published in a report by the UK Government-funded research organisation, Tech Nation, which shows that Investment in the UK’s tech sector grew at a faster pace than in the U.S., China, Germany and France in 2019.



UK Budget Summary March 11 2020

13 Mar 2020

On March 11th, 2020, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered a post-Brexit budget which contained a significant increase in spending across multiple departments with a total increase in borrowing of over £125 billion.  Here is a summary of the budget policy decisions published by the UK government  in the sectors which are of relevance to OBM and our clients:

•Export Trade Policy

•Science and Technology

•Energy Sector:  Decarbonising power, industry and heat

•Electric Vehicles and reducing vehicle pollution



The startup ecosystem in Kansai

10 Feb 2020

When you think of Japan, you may not necessarily perceive it of having a thriving startup culture.  However, this image has been changing.  Over the last decade, a new generation of entrepreneurs has been encouraged to create and develop their business ideas with help from government and industry.

We report on the exciting startup scene in Kansai, the region at the centre of the economy of Western Japan, which includes the cities Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.  



Post-Election Update and its impact on Brexit and UK-Japan Business

06 Jan 2020

The Conservative Party has won the 2019 UK General election and parliament has begun the process of approving the Government’s Brexit bill.  We take a look at the story so far, and what we can expect to happen in 2020, including its impact on the UK-Japan relationship.

• Why there was General Election?

• How did the main parties position themselves?

• Results of the 2019 General Election

• What does the election result mean for the Brexit process?

• Reactions from Japanese companies so far

• How is future trade with Japan affected?



Japanese Businesses and the UK’s Future Economy

08 Nov 2019

OBM was honoured to be invited to the ‘Japanese Businesses and the UK's Future Economy’ event which was co-hosted by the Embassy of Japan in the UK and the British-Japanese Parliamentary Group, on 29th October.

In this article we summarise the areas of collaboration between Japan and the UK and the similarities in their respective industrial strategies.

 



Tips for a successful exhibition and how to follow up

18 Oct 2018

From the end of September through early October, I was in Japan to support collaboration between our clients OKAYA & CO., LTD (Japanese) and Crowd Charge Ltd. (UK).

This was the second opportunity where both companies exhibited together in Japan and there were some reasons why the second exhibition went so well.

Here I introduce the three most important aspects.



Cross-sector Collaboration– a case study of a UK government project

13 July 2018

Recently we have seen more scenarios where a new technology is introduced cross-industry.   EV (Electric Vehicle) is one of the prime examples, which is applied both in the Energy and Automotive sectors.

However, it is not always easy to achieve such collaborations.



Coincidence? - New One Pound Coin, Brexit, and the General Election

19 April 2017

Recently newly-designed one pound coins have been released. To my mind, this new design implies a strong will of the UK government to tackle with Brexit as a united country. And a surprising announcement from the Prime Minister Theresa May to call for a general election in June.  Why did she choose now? 



Brexit & the UK-Japanese Business – How to turn difficulties into opportunities

25 June 2016

Early morning on the 24th June, we woke up with a shocking referendum result: -  the UK will leave EU.  After a day passed, the country hasn’t digested the result yet and is still in shock.  British media have called in various experts, politicians and economists to get their views all day long.  Based on the information I obtained over the last 24 hours, I would like to mention my personal view on the influence on the UK – Japanese businesses and what we can do for the future. 



Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce visit to Osaka - The vital first step and keeping the momentum going

25 August 2015

A MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) has been signed between Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce (TVCC) and Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) in October 2014. What was the vital first step in building the relationship and how can we can keep the momentum going?



FUJITSU World Tour 2015 in Madrid– Showcase of a Japanese company working closely with local businesses

10 July 2015

I was invited to an international conference “Fujitsu World Tour 2015″ in Madrid on the 9th June 2015.    It was a great showcase to demonstrate how a Japanese company can establish a trusted relationship with local businesses and governments



New partnership between Thames Valley (UK) and Osaka/Kansai (Japan)

20 October 2014

Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce signed MoU (memorandum of understanding) of Trade & Investment co-operation on the 6th October 2014