The World Trade Organization's (WTO) "Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade" (TBT) requires member countries to inform the WTO in advance of planned changes to national regulations and technical standards with possible implications to trade. Finland and Japan are both members of the WTO and signatories to the TBT-Agreement.
The FCCJ - in co-operation with the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo - has commenced a service to publish Japanese authorities' notifications to the WTO on its website. The notifications concern changes that are in the "comment phase" before they enter into force. Th list is updated as new notifications emerge.
The service provides FCCJ members with a chance to grasp the content of changes to regulations and technical standards before they take effect, and demand for corrective action or explanation if they are likely to have discriminatory or other adverse effects to the trade.
The FCCJ encourages its members to check the list of newest notifications (link below) from the website on regular basis, and to consult the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo if the change in question is likely to develop into a technical barrier to trade.
Make the most of your stay in Japan and return back to Finland with a tax-free Volvo.
At this special Summer Exhibition, learn how you can purchase the latest model Volvo at factory prices and further enjoy tax benefits through the highly advantageous Carnet de Passage en Douane system (CPD).
Order a European specification Volvo and drive it legally in Japan for a minimum of 6 months and return the car with tax exemption.
The Volvo Cars International Sales team based in Roppongi will display a collection of new 2009 model Volvo's together with a delicious Scandinavian buffet so you can browse through all brochures and information in English in a relaxed atmosphere.
Don't miss this opportunity to join a growing number of European Expatriates taking advantage of this unique program! Email Steven Wanchap to register your interest
swanchap@volvocars.com
For event information, please click link at right.
The Ministry of Labor, Health and Welfare has requested us to post the following notice to our member companies:
Please make sure fulfilling the obligation as to foreign workers who were employed before 10/1/2007 and still on your roster.
- Employers must verify foreign workers' name, status of residence, etc., and notify them to Employment Security Office at the time of hiring/firing.
(Employers who fail to notify them will be fined up to 300,000 yen)
- In addition to newly employed workers, employers have to verify & notify the same as to foreign workers who were employed before the effective date (10/1/2007) and are still working for them. The due date is 10/1/2008.
(Employers who fail to notify them will be fined up to 300,000 yen)
(
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/koyou/gaikokujin-koyou/index.html)
Employers may notify the above through the internet. Also possible to do it at the time of registration for Employment Insurance.
(
https://gaikokujin.hellowork.go.jp/gkjgs/index.jsp)
Vuosikirja pyrkii valottamaan maailmantaloutta, kauppapolitiikkaa sekä Suomen keskeisiä vientimarkkinoita.
Julkaisussa arvioidaan suomalaisyritysten kannalta seitsemäntoista tärkeän kauppa- ja investointikohdemaan ajankohtaista tilannetta ja kaupallis-taloudellista potentiaalia.
Vuosijulkaisu on laadittu Suomen ulkomaanedustustoissa työskentelevien virkamiesten analyyseista ja toimitettu kauppapoliittisella osastolla. Japanin osuudesta vastaa Suomen Tokion suurlähetystössä kaupallis-taloudellisia kysymyksiä hoitava Juha Niemi.
Ideana on ollut hakea laajempaa perspektiivia, ja esitellä sellaista tietoa, mitä pelkät luvut eivät anna. Julkaisun painopiste on nimenomaan yritystoimintaan vaikuttavan poliittisen ja lainsäädännöllisen kehityksen arvioinnissa ja ennakoinnissa.
"Harmonica Ensemble" may not immediately inspire thoughts of high art or serious music-making, but Svang, founded in 2003, have proved to the disbelievers that this tiny instrument can be very expressive and that its potential is, in fact, unlimited!
With a dynamic, energetic stage presence and a repertoire of original music composed by the group themselves, Sväng are set to dazzle and delight listeners the world over. In their music, Slavic melancholy is bolstered by a compulsive rhythmic groove which betrays the groups' love of music of all stripes.
Sväng's debut album, released in 2004, was an instant success and has already achieved fame around the world. Following successful tours in 15 countries, including many radio and television appearances, in March 2008 Svang released their album Jarruta. Perhaps their strong appeal can be attributed to the novelty of the ensemble sound coupled with their unique program of virtuoso Balkan rhythms, swinging ragtime, passionate tango, world music from the North and wild improvisations. A spectacle that must be witnessed live!
More about Sväng >>
Sväng is touring Japan from 17 to 27 September, for schedule and more information click link below.
UPM-Kymmene at the Beijing Olympics
UPM-Kymmene's WISA plywoods played an important role at the construction stage of the main stadium at the Beijing Olympics, the Bird's Nest.. The concrete shuttering for the bearing structures of the stadium mainly built with steel and concrete was realised with 10,000 square metres of UPM's WISA-Form plywood. The stadium is supported by 24 main beams of steel, each of which weighs 1,000 tons.
WISA-Form was also used for the shuttering forms for the tennis centre and the media centre.
In addition to the above, UPM delivered WISA-Trans flooring boards for spectator stands in the Fengtai sports centre and stadium for the venues for softball, cycling (BMX) and triathlon. WISA-Trans is an especially hard-wearing flooring board made from birch plywood and coated with a laminate with a hot-pressed high-friction pattern.
The Bird's Nest was designed by two famous architects from Switzerland, Mr. Jacques Herzog and Mr. Pierre de Meuron, the designers of the art museum Tate Modern in London. They have also been commissioned with the design hotel to be constructed in the district Katajanokka in Helsinki.
More >>
Had he been to Ikea?
One night a wife found her husband standing over their baby's crib. Silently she watched him. As he stood looking down at the sleeping infant, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions:
disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism.
Touched by this unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, with eyes glistening she slipped her arm around her husband.
"A penny for your thoughts," she said.
"It's amazing!" he replied. "I just can't see how anybody can make a crib like that for only 4,900 yen."
