BJA New Year cocktail reception

On January 21, Ambassador Hayashi attended the Belgium-Japan Association & Chamber of Commerce (BJA) New Year cocktail reception. In his remarks, Ambassador Hayashi pointed out that this year we would face many elements of uncertainty such as Brexit, bilateral negotiations on trade issues and the federal and regional elections in Belgium. At the same time, he expressed his hope for a prosperous year for further developing the bilateral economic relations, due to the new Belgium-Japan Tax Convention which entered into force on January 19, and the entry into force of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and the EU in February. On this occasion, Ambassador Hayashi exchanged views with representatives from the Japanese and Belgian business communities as well as other BJA members, particularly on ways to promote further economic relations between Japan and Belgium.