Developing Policy Positions and Advocacy Documents

A policy document is defined as any document originating from the ACCJ that expresses the ACCJ’s position or makes a recommendation on a government policy, law, rule or regulation. Committee leaders develop effective policy positions by obtaining a consensus on key issues that will drive the committee’s advocacy activities consistent with the committee’s vision.

Developing Policy Positions
In developing a policy position, the committee leaders should consider the following:
  • Identify key issues by studying market and regulatory trends and consulting with committee members, other industry experts, and experienced ACCJ External Affairs staff.
  • Focus on issues that affect the entire committee, which helps to ensure that ACCJ positions are for the benefit of an industry as a whole, and not any single member or company.
  • ACCJ advocacy positions must be consistent with the ACCJ’s Core Advocacy Principles.
  • Transparency is key. Committee leaders should inform their committee members of potential advocacy issues and consider the impact of these issues on other committees.
  • Opportunities for synergistic cooperation between two or more committees on a given issue should be sought whenever relevant. The ACCJ’s advocacy pillar framework is the ideal framework for working across committees.
  • The ACCJ represents the collective interests of its members and committees are usually composed of members from several different and often competing companies. If a consensus cannot be achieved, the committee leader should consult with the External Affairs Advisory Council (EAAC).
  • Once consensus is achieved, committee leaders should begin planning initiatives to address the issue. Committee initiatives must be focused and consistent with each other and the ACCJ’s overall objectives as described below (i.e., vetted through the proper approval process).
                        
Converting Policy Positions into Advocacy Documents   
  1. Draft: Having identified an issue and reached a consensus on the desired changes sought, committee leaders lead their committee through the process of drafting an advocacy document. See a list of commonly created documents below.
  2. Review: Drafts of advocacy documents are shared with all committee members to ensure consensus on the draft text. Once the committee members have signed off on the draft, the draft is shepherded through a thorough review and approval process by the External Affairs Advisory Council (EAAC) and the Board of Governors (BOG) by External Affairs staff.
  3. Translation: Once review is completed, documents are translated into Japanese, a time-consuming but important step to ensure that the message gets through to its intended audience. The ACCJ does not provide translation services and translation costs will be borne by the committee. Committee leaders should also proactively manage relevant processes by allowing adequate time for not only internal ACCJ processes, but also Japanese government processes (i.e., timely submitting public comments within the set time period). Since the validity of a viewpoint begins once the paper is approved, not once it is released, committee chairs should begin working with External Affairs as early in the process as possible.
  4. Design: Once the English and Japanese drafts are approved and no more changes are to be made, the Communications Department works to create a bilingual, read-only PDF file. The PDF file will serve as the official version of the policy position. Depending on the committee's advocacy strategy, the advocacy position paper can be posted on the ACCJ public website, shared on social media, and sent to appropriate stakeholders. See more information about developing your committee's advocacy strategy here.

Advocacy Documents

VIEWPOINTS: As a first step, a committee will often write a viewpoint, which is a brief position paper that expresses the ACCJ’s official position on the identified key issues. Viewpoints are written in a standardized format. Please see below for a detailed breakdown of the format. Examples of current approved viewpoints can be found on the ACCJ’s website at:  http://www.accj.or.jp/viewpoints.html
                                            
A viewpoint should be prepared in the following standard format:
  1. Recommendation: A specific, solution-based recommendation to address a specific issue. Be very clear about whom (e.g. a specific ministry or the Diet) you are asking to do what (e.g. revise a specific law or regulation), and toward what end.  
  2. Issue: A concise explanation of the factors contributing to the creation of the issue, the negative effects of the issue, and what the ACCJ recommends to address the issue.                  
  3. Background: A committee may wish to provide some context to the policy or policies for which it is requesting a change. Committees that have been very active in advocacy often chronicle some of the steps that have led to the issuing a particular viewpoint. The background section can bolster the rationale for the committee to o er specific recommendations precisely at the time that it does. Not all viewpoints contain a background section. 
​Ideally, drafts should be no more than 1-5 pages long. Attachments, addendums, and graphics may also be used, but should be kept to a minimum. The draft can include bullet points and numbering as needed, but should not have any other formatting (e.g., multiple fonts, bolding, italicizing, underlining, centering/ indenting, columns, and nondefault line spacing). The Communications Department will format the finished Viewpoint once it has been approved.
                        
                    
WHITE PAPERS: A white paper is an extended document expressing the Chamber's official position on a specific issue in detail or on a broad range of issues.

PRESS RELEASES: Press releases can be an effective way to share a position on a time-sensitive or otherwise press-worthy matter.

JOINT STATEMENTS: Joint statements offer positions on specific issues written and issued in conjunction with third-parties. Often these third parties are trade organizations working on similar issues.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: ​A public comment is a statement written in response to a government issued request for comment on a proposed policy or regulatory change.Often public comments have format guidelines required for submissions. Please follow these guidelines and ask the External Affairs staff if you have any questions about the process.
  • If the public comment is based on an outstanding viewpoint or policy document,  leaders of relevant committee(s) working on the public comment should present the comment text to the External Affairs Department for review by the EAAC leaders only, giving as much lead time as possible.                   
  • If the proposed public comment is not based on an outstanding viewpoint or policy document, the issuing committee must submit, for approval by the BOG and EAAC, the full-text public comment. If the comment is to be submitted in Japanese, the public comment should be submitted for review with an English summary.    
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