ACCJ COVID-19 TOWN HAll
The ACCJ held its first virtual town hall on Thursday, March 19 to provide updates on the Chamber’s activities and address questions from the membership-at-large.
The town hall featured the ACCJ Crisis Response Team:
Summary of Remarks from Peter Fitzgerald, ACCJ President
Thank you for joining us in what I believe is our first-ever virtual town hall.
When I began my role as ACCJ President, we talked about how pivotal 2020 is going to be for the next decade of growth and how the Chamber can help create ecosystems for innovation to flourish. Digital transformation, work style reform, retirement, women empowerment, and U.S.-Japan trade negotiations are just a few of the areas where the ACCJ can play a significant role in effecting change.
Although the global pandemic has caused great social and economic disruption throughout the country and to ACCJ efforts, it has also provided us with a unique opportunity to lead and effect change. We are finding ways to keep communication lines open, share information continuously, and contribute where we can. Your creative efforts are an inspiration, and I am proud of our commitment to the broader community.
It is easy to go back to a business-as-usual approach, given the low number of cases in Japan. With so much uncertainty, however, we should adopt a long-term mentality and remain vigilant. Your positivity and compassion are making a huge difference in mitigating the societal impact of coronavirus.
Thank you for your feedback, advice, and questions. Sharing your frustrations and challenges is truly beneficial to all of us as we continue to learn from each other.
Summary of Remarks from Laura Younger, ACCJ Executive Director
Over the past few weeks, our focus has been on repurposing our core skills to create new opportunities for networking and information sharing among our members. Our goal is to ensure that we can continue to provide our normal level of support and new services. In addition, the Board [of Governors] delegated decision-making authority to the Crisis Response Team (CRT) to streamline our decision-making process.
Updates:
Question & Answer Session
Additional Comments
The town hall featured the ACCJ Crisis Response Team:
- Peter Fitzgerald, ACCJ President
- Christopher LaFleur, ACCJ Chairman
- Laura Younger, ACCJ Executive Director
- Michael Alfant, Chair of ACCJ Emergency Disaster Response Advisory Council
Summary of Remarks from Peter Fitzgerald, ACCJ President
Thank you for joining us in what I believe is our first-ever virtual town hall.
When I began my role as ACCJ President, we talked about how pivotal 2020 is going to be for the next decade of growth and how the Chamber can help create ecosystems for innovation to flourish. Digital transformation, work style reform, retirement, women empowerment, and U.S.-Japan trade negotiations are just a few of the areas where the ACCJ can play a significant role in effecting change.
Although the global pandemic has caused great social and economic disruption throughout the country and to ACCJ efforts, it has also provided us with a unique opportunity to lead and effect change. We are finding ways to keep communication lines open, share information continuously, and contribute where we can. Your creative efforts are an inspiration, and I am proud of our commitment to the broader community.
It is easy to go back to a business-as-usual approach, given the low number of cases in Japan. With so much uncertainty, however, we should adopt a long-term mentality and remain vigilant. Your positivity and compassion are making a huge difference in mitigating the societal impact of coronavirus.
Thank you for your feedback, advice, and questions. Sharing your frustrations and challenges is truly beneficial to all of us as we continue to learn from each other.
Summary of Remarks from Laura Younger, ACCJ Executive Director
Over the past few weeks, our focus has been on repurposing our core skills to create new opportunities for networking and information sharing among our members. Our goal is to ensure that we can continue to provide our normal level of support and new services. In addition, the Board [of Governors] delegated decision-making authority to the Crisis Response Team (CRT) to streamline our decision-making process.
Updates:
- Business Continuity Network (BCN). We created a new series of programming that covers all COVID-19-related activities and initiatives. BCN includes member surveys, webinars with subject matter experts, and virtual meetings to share best practices.
- Virtual events are open to specialist staff member organizations who can be nominated by member companies to participate.
- To maximize information sharing, summaries of calls and webinars will be made available on BCN. Videos may also be included at the speakers’ discretion.
- Refer to the website for a growing list of resources, including links to programs and the latest government information.
- Events. Virtual events will continue into April. We are continuously assessing future events. For the latest updates, please check our website.
- Our regular monthly meetings continue, with the upcoming Leadership Forum as our first virtual gathering of committee leaders.
- Advocacy. Advocacy efforts are ongoing. Although the D.C. Doorknock is postponed, and we are communicating with our counterparts in the U.S. to ensure Chamber voices are heard.
- Office operations. The ACCJ office successfully tested its ability to work remotely as an all-Japan team.
Question & Answer Session
- Are we expanding the ACCJ staff?
- The job announcements are to fill vacancies in existing positions.
- Why are there fees for virtual events?
- Currently, the ACCJ has two paths for programming for virtual events: regular events and events through our BCN.
- For regular events, the ACCJ is charging small fees based on market price and related resourcing costs, such as the technology used. We are trying to cover costs in a nominal way, given that the information we are providing is not free. We are closely monitoring these costs and making adjustments as needed.
- All our BCN-related events are free and open to all members.
- What software or services are being used for virtual events?
- Our primary means is Zoom, but we have also used Google software and Cisco systems.
- Are member companies planning to order Japanese employees to work from home?
- Businesses are operating on a spectrum. There are some working primarily from home, with office spaces reserved for critical work only. Others are operating normally, which may have already included remote work, and some businesses have no employees in the office.
- Do you have a recommended course of action?
- Use your best judgment. The ACCJ is endeavoring to provide you with as much information as possible to enable sound and informed decision-making.
- Feedback from our member surveys shows that the majority of members suggest mandatory work from home arrangements. View our surveys to get a better sense of what fellow members are doing in their companies.
- Are there or will there be travel restrictions between the U.S. and Japan?
- The GOJ has not placed quarantine requirements for those coming from other countries or outright bans on travel or non-Japanese travelers. Both the U.S. and Japan recognize the bilateral relationship in its various manifestations is really critical. We expect the GOJ will have a strong rationale should it decide to restrict traffic from the U.S., and we will continue to monitor future developments.
- Are there plans to provide alternative means for networking?
- The need for interaction persists even with physical separation, and we are facilitating member interaction and networking through the Business Continuity Network. BCN includes events, surveys, and other activities that bring our members together for specific conversations. We highly encourage your participation as communicating using video technology does foster a feeling of community and networking.
- What can U.S. citizens do about hoarding?
- Our best advice is do not hoard.
- Both the GOJ and Japanese businesses are doing their best to meet demand and appear to be modestly successful. It may be difficult to secure preventive hygiene products such as hand sanitizer and masks, but other products remain in steady supply.
- With 3/11, Japan demonstrated its ability to reroute and reconstitute supply chains within 15 days. It is likely we will see a similarly robust domestic response to avoid shortages.
Additional Comments
- Legal Services & IP Webinar – Monday, March 30
- The upcoming “COVID-19 Legal Challenges” webinar will attempt to address the labor law questions, such as remote work for employees, travel restrictions, and support for infected family members.
- Member Surveys
- Please complete our member surveys. Your responses help ensure the ACCJ is fully and accurately reflected in our conversations to the U.S. and Japanese governments and business communities. These surveys also allow us to gauge our success under these extraordinary circumstances.
- Thank you!
- We are experimenting with different options to provide you with the best solutions in differing situations. As we balance business continuity and personnel safety, thank you for your patience, openness, compassion, and flexibility. Please continue engaging with us, and we will get through this together.
