Details

The measure was implemented on 12 January 2012 in coopeartion with the Keizai Koho Center of the largest Japanese business association Keidanren on the issue of "Access to Resources: Perspectives for Economic and Trade Policies".

After welcome remarks by the Keizai Koho Center Managing Director and General Secretary, Hiroshi Nakayama, and the Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Jörg Wolff, the main speaker, Philipp Mißfelder, gave a presentation on the current German strategy in foreign and resource policy. The Foreign Policy Spokesman emphasized the Parliamentary Group's as well as the government's decisions and intensions for a foreign economic policy enhancement and an accordingly intensified global engagement in international politics with civil and occasionaly restricted military means. As a consequence of growing competition e.g. by the People's Republic of China on global energy and resource markets as well as of increasing speculative influences on international commodity prices, particularly Germany as a technology and innovation oriented export nation was bound to (re-)act. In order to ensure resource security, for example access to rare earth, which is compulsory for production procedures in the field of e-mobility, and to support the economy, the German Federal Government had signed a procurement contract with Mongolia in October 2011, that would be followed up by an additional agreement with the Republic of Kazakhstan in February 2012. Such government intervention was justified by the disadvantageous constellation on global markets. Concerning the selection of resource-rich countries as partners in trade, besides current interests and strategic objectives, the liberal and democratic values of German foreign policy had to be taken into consideration. In some other countries competing with Germany on global markets, as the PR China, those necesseties would not exist. Therefore an appropriate strategy and common coordinated efforts by German politics and the economy were urgently required to secure sufficient access to resources. Further steps like a state-owned holding-company for resource aquirement could be possible and reasonable.

After the presentation by Mr. Mißfelder, the chief economist of the Nomura Securities Research Institute, Mr. Takahide Kiuchi, introduced the current situation of the Japanese economy under the influence of the global economic crisis, after the triple catastrophe in the north-eastern part of the country on 11 March last year and with regard to the question of resource security. On the one hand, national reconstruction efforts caused enormous expenditures, putting extreme pressure on the state budget. Yet, on the other hand, there was also a significant consumption increase in the affected area. Besides, additional public investment for reconstruction would be a growth impetus for at least until the midth of next fiscal year. However, if the global economy should not have stabilized by then, that might hit the country especially hard. Mr. Kiuchi added, that besides dealing with the catastrophe, the current high exchange rates, continuing deflation risks and the significant imbalance in the social security system would remain as serious challenges for the Japanese government. The currency crisis in Europe was yet another considerable factor of insecurity for the economy. To deal with this, the consumption tax increase brought up by the government would be an important and advisable first step. If, however, economic and financial policy reforms should not be implemented as planned, this might cause fatal reactions on financial markets.

In the long lasting discussion the German delegation member were especially inquiring the current state of discussion on energy supply in Japan after Fukushima. Mr. Yasuhiko Yoshida from the Research Institute affiliated to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Tetsuya Jitsu, chief editorial writer of the Japanese economic newspaper Nihon Keizai Shinbun, and Mr. Chiharu Mori, deputy chief editor of the largest Japanese daily newspaper, Yomiuri Shinbun, drew the picture of a rather divided nation on that question. However, they all saw first indications for a broadening insight, that nuclear energy supply was neither a safe nor, in consideration of storage issues as well as possible fallout scenarios, neccessarily cost-effective choice.

The Japanese participants were particularly interested in the success formula of the German economy: the concurrence of economy and state, the German economic policy and the secrets of its "Hidden Champions", German medium-sized family-owned businesses. In the elaborate discussion on these questions, each German delegate had the chance to introduce the business model of his or her company against the background of the German Social Market Economy:

• Ahlmann, Iver - ACO Sverin Ahlmann GmbH
• Baur, Rafael - Wenglor sensoric GmbH
• Bechtold, Daniela - b.i.g. Gruppe Management GmbH
• Kulitz, Jessica - ESTA Apparatebau
• Luthardt, Sven - Luthardt GmbH
• Prinz, Christopher - Keyser Verlag GmbH
• Steinbrecher, Tim - Buerener Maschinenfabrik GmbH