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.

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.

We are delighted to announce that our partner, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) will host another Global Innovation Forum on the 26th-28th October 2020, following a successful event last year.  This fully sponsored opportunity is open to start-ups with advanced technology in AI, IoT, Digital Health, VR/AR and Mobility.

Expression of Interest to be received by the 19th June.

For further information and application process, please click  below link

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. 

This week the UK Government has released its negotiating objectives for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan.  For the UK, textiles, clothing and professional and financial services are the key areas.  We expect that automotive products will be one of the main areas for Japan.  

This is a very positive development in UK-Japan trade relations and companies in both countries could come to benefit from the reduced, or zero tariffs resulting from an FTA.

If you would like further guidance, then please contact us here.

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.

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

OBM, in association with the Japan Desk of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce is offering a half-day course “How to sell in Japan” on the 24th April 2020.  This course is designed for British companies who are considering expanding their business to Japan, or who are already trading in/with Japan and would like to improve their business.

We just celebrated the 10th Anniversary since OBM was established on the 4th February 2010. Taking this opportunity, we would like to express our thanks to our clients, business partners, family, friends - every single person who has supported us.

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. 

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?