Messe News Partner Country March 2008

In this issue

COOPERATION THROUGH INNOVATION Japan is the Partner Country to HANNOVER MESSE 2008

Opening statement by Akira Amari, Japanese Minister of Economics page 2 Forging international alliances Japan’s Partner Country showcase set to be a major boon to the world market page 3 Japan leads the way Partner Country exhibits cover all major display categories central pavilion in Hall 2 pages 4-6 Japan – an attractive place to invest page 7 “For us, Japan is a global benchmark” Interview with Frank Stührenberg, Phoenix Contact page 8 Top level business summit Japan features prominently in program of accompanying events page 9 GET NEW TECHNOLOGY FIRST HANNOVER MESSE 2008: Ten tradeshows under one roof page 10

High-ranking Japanese and German representatives at the signing of the Partner Country Agreement on 20 November in Tokyo.

One of the world’s most innovative industrial countries is the official Partner Country to HANNOVER MESSE 2008. Themed “Cooperation through Innovation”, the Japanese showcase will feature the latest hi-tech developments in industrial automation, robotics, energy, fuel cells, environmental technology and micro- and nanotechnology. The benefits to exhibitors and visitors at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 will be enormous. HANNOVER MESSE, the world’s biggest technology trade fair, will be staged at the Hannover Exhibition Center in Germany from 21 to 25 April 2008. Wolfgang Pech, Deutsche Messe’s Director in charge of HANNOVER MESSE, at the signing of the Partner Country Agreement in Tokyo on November 20: “No other country is so closely associated with the term ‘innovation’ as Japan. Japan’s involvement in next year’s show will be a major boon to the world market and provide a powerful platform for dialogue between the business and political leaders of both nations.” Focus on bilateral trade relations Both Japan and Germany view the partnership as a unique opportunity to cultivate

closer bilateral relations, focusing in particular on R&D cooperation. HANNOVER MESSE 2008 is a springboard to the Japanese market for German companies and vice versa. International heavyweights from business, research and government will gather in Hannover to share knowledge and grow business relations. Top-level support for partnership Japan accepted the Partner Country invitation extended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an official visit in Berlin by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in January 2007. During her visit to Japan in August that year, Mrs. Merkel renewed her call for closer cooperation between Japan and Europe: “Increased collaboration in research and development is the key to innovative technologies that set new international standards.”

For more information on Partner Country Japan and HANNOVER MESSE 2008, visit www.partnercountry.

hannovermesse.de

Messe News Partnerland Japan

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Opening statement by Akira Amari, Japanese Minister of Economics It is a great honor for Japan to be chosen as the Partner Country 2008 of HANNOVER MESSE, the largest industrial exposition in the world, with a 60-year history. Reflecting its position as a country with cutting-edge technology, Japan has adopted the theme of “Cooperation through Innovation” for HANNOVER MESSE 2008. Japan is making ceaseless efforts to realize/materialize the concept of “Innovation” with a view to achieve sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, Japan would like to contribute to global economic growth through “Innovation.” Akira Amari

Releasing information about innovative Japanese technologies and designs in the European Union region, a huge and growing market at the forefront of the global economy, will bring about new business alliances and opportunities between Japanese and participating companies from various countries. In addition, Japan is convinced that excellent Japanese technologies in the field of energy consumption reduction and recyclable energy will take a major role in tackling global warming and resolving global issues such as the stabilization of the supply and demand of energy resources that have seen soaring prices recently. Finally, we hope that HANNOVER MESSE 2008 will provide a fruitful forum for German companies as well as for all exhibitors and visitors to HANNOVER from all over the world to exchange information. Yours truly, Akira Amari Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

Messe News Partner Country Japan

The dual arm robots developed by Japanese robotics manufacturer Yaskawa-Motoman will also be on show at HANNOVER MESSE 2008.

Forging international alliances Japan’s Partner Country showcase set to be a major boon to the world market Given their ageing populations and declining birth rates, the world’s industrial nations have to maintain their innovative edge in key technologies to secure economic growth for present and future generations in the 21st century. However, this entails massive investment of financial and human resources in R&D – investment on a scale that no one country on its own can afford. For this reason, international alliances are becoming increasingly important. Japan and Germany – both high-tech nations – see their partnership at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 as a great opportunity to build innovation clusters. “As the world’s biggest industrial trade fair, HANNOVER MESSE is the perfect platform for fostering cooperation”, confirms the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the body tasked by the Japanese government with organizing Japan’s Partner Country showcase at this year’s show.

Ideal setting for small and medium-sized Japanese enterprises Japan is aiming to generate strong industry and media exposure at the fair, particularly for the leading-edge technology solutions developed by its small and medium-sized companies. “HANNOVER MESSE is the perfect forum for forging global business alliances – the key to internationalizing Japan’s SME sector”, explains Yasuo Hayashi,

CEO of JETRO. The prospect of cooperative ventures with small and medium-sized companies, collaboration among hi-tech industrial nations, joint R&D initiatives and alliances with partners from around the world and Germany in its capacity as host country and facilitator: these are the reasons why Japan decided to become the Partner Country to HANNOVER MESSE 2008.

“Our two economies complement each other perfectly and have benefited enormously from decades of close economic cooperation and mutual trust. Exhibitors and visitors will be able to learn about Japanese exhibits and gather information on investment opportunities in Japan. They will also have the opportunity to meet cooperation partners who can help them gain entry to the highly attractive markets of Japan.” Michael Glos, Germany Federal Minister of Economics and Technology

Messe News Partner Country Japan

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Japan leads the way

Partner Country exhibits cover all major display categories – central pavilion in Hall 2 Japan’s Partner Country showcase at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 will span the environmental technology, energy technology, robotics, nano- and microtechnology display areas and center around a central pavilion at the Research & Technology show in Hall 2. Japan will also have strong presence at the Energy show in Hall 27 and in the Automation/Robotics display area in Halls 17 and 25. In addition, Japanese firms will be dialoging directly with their target users at their own presentations at HANNOVER MESSE’s various specialist venues and events. Always in tune with the times, HANNOVER MESSE will this year feature an expanded line-up in the key industry theme areas of industrial automation, energy technology, Yaskawa- climate protection, subcontracting and cutting-edge technologies. The enlarged scope Motoman will provide full coverage of all the latest developments, themes and trends. Read on service to find out about the diverse range of high-tech innovations Japan will be showcasing robot at this year’s show.

Automation and robotics Yaskawa-Motoman, Fanuc, Yokogawa, Mitsubishi, Toshiba – these Japanese companies are world leaders in automation technology. Japan was one of the first nations to grasp the pivotal importance of “robotics”, a broad discipline encompassing areas such as mechanical engineering, electronics, information technology and materials engineering. Today, industrial robots are more widely used in Japan than in any other country. At the end of 2004, it had 356,500 industrial robots in use, as compared with 122,000 in the USA. Japan is also the world’s biggest exporter of robotics technology. And the country plans to further expand its flag-

ship robotics industry with a number of initiatives, such as the economics ministrysponsored “21st Century Robot Challenge Program”. According to the Japan Robot Association (JARA), the country’s 130 or so manufacturers have strengths in three main areas: industrial robotics, structural and civil engineering robotics, and service robotics. It is in this last area in particular that Japan is a world leader – not least because of its extremely receptive domestic market. Japanese consumers have shown themselves to be very open to the use of robotics, even in critical areas such as the health and childcare sectors.

The biggest geographic cluster in the robotics industry is the Osaka region, home to a host of big-name companies like Matsushita Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy and Vstone (the winner of several RoboCups). Osaka University is a pioneer in the development of intelligent systems. Japan tends, however, to focus more on hardware design than specific applications. According to JARA, local companies have to focus more on identifying unique and unequivocal applications for their technology in order to kick-start demand. What better platform for this than HANNOVER MESSE?

Industrial automation and robotics at HANNOVER MESSE

HANNOVER MESSE is the world’s biggest automation trade fair, with three main display areas dedicated to industrial automation (process automation, production automation and industrial building automation). The main higlights include the Mobile Robotics and Autonomous Systems special display, the RoboCup competition in Hall 25, the Robotics Academy and the Application Park in Hall 17.

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Messe News Partner Country Japan

Energy A long-standing world leader in the production of solar cells, Japan is a shining example of how targeted industry development assistance can take a country to the top of the international game in innovative fields of technology. Japanese companies also lead the world in fuel cell technology and conventional areas such as power plant construction and pipeline technology. Japan is currently the world’s most efficient producer and user of energy. The island nation’s extreme dependence on imports of fossil fuels, coupled with spiraling energy prices, growing demand for energy and voluntary commitment to Kyoto CO2 reduction targets, is forcing it to invest heavily in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources. In other words, Japan’s fast-growing energy technology market has never been riper for hi-tech solar thermal energy, energy storage and power plant technology solutions. Japan is now looking to close the gap on European manufacturers in the areas of solar thermal energy, biomass utilization and wind energy. In terms of solar heat utilization it has a considerable advantage over Germany, with a 20 percent higher average level of solar radiation. The main area of interest here is solar-powered cooling. On the biomass front, Japan’s potential is roughly on a par with Germany’s. Its focus here is primarily on the local use of organic waste and waste wood from the forestry industry. In January 2007, Japan’s economics ministry launched a new initiative to increase the country’s use of renewables and steadily reduce its reliance on oil and natural gas imports. The target is to boost Japan’s annual renewable electric output to 16 billion kilowatt-hours by the end of the 2014 fiscal year (as compared with 5.6 billion kWh in the 2005 fiscal year).

Energy technology at HANNOVER MESSE HANNOVER MESSE has long been recognized as the leading international exhibition hub for energy technology. It profiles the entire energy mix of the future – with renewables on an equal footing with conventional energy. Located in Halls 11 to 13 and Hall 27, the Energy and Pipeline Technology shows will feature the latest technologies for energy transmission, distribution, conversion and storage. The third energy-related show, Power Plant Technology, has a broad focus on power plant construction.

Messe News Partner Country Japan

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Research and development Hybrid engines, talking dogs, bifacial solar cells – Japan’s capacity for continual innovation in emerging technologies, specialized processes and precision engineering has earned it unrivalled global preeminence in many areas of industry. So much so, that “In Japan the future happens earlier” has become a common saying. Japan invests in excess of three percent of its GDP in research and development – more than any other country in the world. It’s not surprising then, that on the 2005 European Innovation Scoreboard, Japan ranked ahead of Germany and the USA. Many of Japan’s key R&D specialties coincide with HANNOVER MESSE’s display categories. As long ago as 2004, the Nakagawa Report (named after Japan’s then economics minister) pinned Japan’s R&D fortunes to fuel cell technology and robotics. In 2007, the Japanese government adopted “Innovation 25”, a national guideline

for the period through to 2025 focused on promoting and supporting technological development in the key areas of medicine, engineering and information technology. Cooperation with foreign hi-tech enterprises and research institutes is also one of the guideline’s stated objectives. The political engine room of Japan’s innovation policymaking is the Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP), a high-level body that reports directly to the Prime Minister. The Council formulates and adopts five-year R&D plans that support innovative industries in “industry clusters”. MEXT, the ministry in charge of science and research, has identified 18 research clusters that are grouped into the four main categories of Life Sciences, IT, Environment and Nanotechnology. These innovation clusters correspond to the German government’s 18 “Fields of Innovation”, which are grouped into competence networks.

Research and development at HANNOVER MESSE The Research & Technology show in Hall 2 is where technology transfer begins. It is the conduit between research and industry. The show specializes in innovations from the fields of adaptronics, bionics, nano- and microtechnology, new materials, and superconductors.

Exhibitor list The exhibitor list for the Partner Country reads like a Who’s Who of the Japanese corporate sector. Here is an excerpt from the list of top Japanese companies that will be exhibiting at HANNOVER MESSE 2008: • AIST – National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology • DENSO CORPORATION • FUJI ELECTRIC HOLDINGS CO., LTD. • Hitachi Power Europe GmbH • Matsubara Co., Ltd • Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd • Mitsubishi Electric Corporation • New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) • NIPPON OIL CORPORATION • Sharp Corporation • Shizuoka University • TDC CORPORATION • Toshiba Industrial Products Sales Corporation. • TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION • Yaskawa Electric Europe GmbH • Yokogawa Electric Corporation

For further information visit www.partnercountry.hannovermesse.de

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Messe News Partner Country Japan

If you can make it in Japan… … you can make it anywhere The recession has finally bottomed out and the Japanese economy is now back in growth mode following the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis. Exports in 2006 climbed to around USD 647 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.2 percent. Imports for the same period rose 11.7 percent to approximately USD 580 billion. This is the first time the country’s exports have ever topped the USD 600 billion mark and the fourth growth year in a row for imports. Furthermore, Japan remains the world’s second-largest economy in terms of GDP. An attractive place to invest Japan is particularly attractive to investors. Economists are picking the country’s economy to grow by an average of 2 percent annually in the coming years, and even the UN has acknowledged the country’s long-term growth potential, outstanding human capital and unrivalled level of technological development and R&D expenditure. In years past Japan’s high savings ratio and strong domestic human and financial resources gave it a measure of self-sufficiency, but demographic change has put an end to this. With its population steadily ageing and its birth rate declining, the country urgently needs foreign investment in order to keep pace with its global competitors. Further “home-grown” constraints are Japan’s traditionally low rate of female participation in the workforce and the gradual erosion of the country’s industrial base. In a move to stimulate sustainable economic growth

through foreign investment, the Japanese government has announced plans to double the level of foreign direct investment to around 5 percent of GDP by 2010. JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) is to play an important part in this. The advantage of proximity to the markets of Asia Japan has done much in recent years to open up its market to foreign investors. For instance, the 2006 reform of its Corporations Law removed the minimum capital requirement for start-up companies. Many foreign investors, particularly innovative small and medium-sized companies from the IT and automotive subcontracting industries, now have direct investments in Japan. With its proximity to other Asian markets, government investment incentives, excellent infrastructure and worldclass knowledge base, Japan is an excellent location for medium to long-term investments. As well as this, many companies regard Japan as something of a litmus test: “If you can make it in Japan, you can make it anywhere.”

Come prepared Japan’s Partner Country showcase is an excellent opportunity for exhibitors and visitors to make contact with Japanese hi-tech companies. However, no-one should attempt to tackle a sophisticated market like Japan without thorough preparation and planning. In this sense, it pays to enlist the support of a Japan specialist, both in the initial market-entry phase and when taking an established foothold to the next level, e.g. by setting up a local branch office. This is where ECOS Japan Consult can help. ECOS is a co-initiator of Japan’s Partner Country showcase. It has offices in Osnabrück, Munich and Yokohama and is available to help visitors and exhibitors before and during HANNOVER MESSE 2008. www.ecos-consult.com

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Messe News Partner Country Japan

“For us, Japan is a global benchmark” Interview with Frank Stührenberg, Executive Vice President, Sales, at Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co KG, Blomberg Phoenix Contact first established a sales presence in Japan in 1988. What were the reasons behind this move? Phoenix Contact Japan in Yokohama was our first – and is hence our oldest – local sales subsidiary in Asia. Back then, Japan was already the world’s second-largest economy, and to this day it remains one of the ten most important and largest markets for Phoenix Contact. And with its wealth of global players and world market leaders, the Japanese economy is a technology driver and a setter of benchmarks for many applications – and not just in Asia. Knowing this market inside-out and having

Phoenix Contact has 66 employees in Yokohama.

a local presence via our own company – including logistics support, an expert sales team and local management – is integral to our strategic objectives and our mission as an international market leader. Japan and Germany are among the world’s top hi-tech industrial nations. What lessons can we learn from Japan? Japan is a world-leader in the automotive, mechanical engineering, process engineering, semiconductor and many other industries. We are especially interested in Japanese companies’ outstanding expertise in process management and hence their ability to make and commercialize products and services at the very top end of the quality spectrum. For us, they are a global benchmark. What are your expectations regarding Japan’s Partner Country presence at Hannover Messe? Going by our experience of past Hannover Messe events, we are confident the Partner Country initiative will foster in-depth dialogue on matters of business and technology with high-caliber trade visitors and Partner Country delegations. It is also a fantastic opportunity to profile our own company, build relationships and make new contacts.

Frank Stührenberg, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co KG, Blomberg

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Messe News Partner Country Japan

Top level business summit Japan features prominently in program of accompanying events WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE

HANNOVER MESSE’s vast accompanying program of presentations, conferences and panel discussions – around 1,000 high-caliber events in total – make the fair one of the world’s major business summits. As official Partner Country at this year’s show, Japan will be one of the main contributors. In keeping with long-established tradition, the political leadership of the HANNOVER MESSE Partner Country is invited to attend the opening ceremony and accompany the Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel, on her subsequent tour of the Hannover showgrounds. Following is a list of some of the key events that Japan will be participating in this year:

German-Japanese Business Summit The German-Japanese Business Summit that will be held on the first day of the fair (21 April) and is one of the key highlights in the diverse program of events that will be staged in connection with Japan’s Partner Country showcase. Organized by the German Industry Federation (BDI), the Summit provides a unique opportunity for Germany’s and Japan’s political and business leaders to discuss the key issues of the day, such as climate change and energy efficiency in the “post-Kyoto” era, explore new cooperation options in the fields of trade and investment, and develop a joint strategy with respect to WTO negotiations and industrial standards.

At the third WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE (22 and 23 April), an international contingent of policymakers and experts from the energy and finance sectors will get together to discuss various strategies for ensuring a sustainable, long-term energy supply. Key discussion points will include the advantages of globally available renewable energy sources, distributed generation, major advances in boosting energy efficiency, and modern, low-emission power station technology. The lineup of high-caliber keynote speakers includes the Japanese Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Akira Amari, who will provide an outline of his country’s energy strategy. Takahiko Yamamoto, Management Board Member of the Energy and Environment Technology Center of Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) will also be taking part in the event.

8th German-Japanese PIUS Conference The German-Japanese PIUS Conference has become firmly established as an important knowledge-sharing platform for both countries on the subject of production-integrated environmental protection Its primary focus is on boosting companies’ competitiveness by optimizing the use of resources, raising productivity and reducing costs, while, at the same time, reducing the environmental impact of production processes.

The WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE will be held in Hall 27 – in the immediate vicinity of the Energy, Power Plant Technology and Pipeline Technology shows. Japan will also be taking part in the following climate protection-related events: • German-Japanese Photovoltaics Forum (24 April, Convention Center) • German-Japanese Business Dialogue on Climate Protection (24 April, Convention Center) • Renewable Energy Forum (21-25 April, Hall 3), “Overview of the country-specific framework conditions and market developments in the major energy-exporting nations”

New Robotics Showcase The Mobile Robots & Autonomous Systems presentation will make its debut at this year’s HANNOVER MESSE. Visitors to the display in Hall 25 will be treated to live demonstrations of the latest generation in mobile robots and autonomous technology, designed for a range of applications in industry, private households and the public sector.

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Messe News Partner Country Japan

GET NEW TECHNOLOGY FIRST Ten tradeshows under one roof HANNOVER MESSE 2008 runs from 21 to 25 April 2008 in Hannover, Germany, and is a gold mine of new markets, new contacts, new customers and new networks. It comprises ten flagship tradeshows, making it the perfect marketing and information plat-

form. This year, more than 5,000 exhibitors from over 60 nations will be using the fair to showcase their latest industrial technology developments, innovations and trends. As in 2007, the central themes at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 are energy technology, industri-

al automation, subcontracting and research and development. Every year, HANNOVER MESSE attracts an average of 200,000 visitors, a third of them from beyond Germany. The fair’s strong B2B focus means that 95 percent of all visitors are trade visitors.

The world’s most important technology event

21–25 April 2008

Industrial Automation INTERKAMA+ Leading Trade Fair for Process Automation (Halls 6–9, 11)

Information Center

Global Business Forum

(Hall 6)

Convention Center

PROMOTION WORLD

(Hall 18)

Factory Automation Leading Trade Fair for Production Automation (Halls 8, 9, 11, 14–17)

Mobile Roboter RoboCup

(Hall 25)

(Hall 26)

Industrial Building Automation Trade Fair for Integrated Industrial and Building Automation Systems (Halls 11, 14)

(Hall 26)

Digital Factory Leading Trade Fair for Integrated Processes and IT Solutions (Hall 17) Subcontracting Leading Trade Fair for Subcontracting Services, Materials, Components and Systems for Mechanical Engineering, the Automotive Industry and Plant Engineering (Halls 3–5) Energy Leading Trade Fair for Renewable and Conventional Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (Halls 11–13, 27) Power Plant Technology Leading Trade Fair for Power Plant Design, Systems, Operation and Maintenance (Hall 27) Pipeline Technology Leading Trade Fair for Pipeline Technologies and Systems (Hall 27, Pipeline Park) MicroTechnology Leading Trade Fair for Applied Microsystems Technology and Nanotechnology (Hall 6) Research & Technology Innovations Market for R&D (Hall 2) January 2008 · Modifications reserved

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Your contacts JETRO JAPAN EXTERNAL TRADE ORGANIZATION Ark Mori Building 6F 12-32 Asaka 1-Chome, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107-6006 JAPAN Tel.: +81-(0) 3-3582-5183 Fax: +81-(0) 3- 3505-0450 E-mail [email protected] www.jetro.go.jp

Deutsche Messe AG – Japan Office – * Mr. Tomohiro Hiwatashi Lotus Stage 2F 2-22-21 Higashi-Nakano Nakano-Ku, Tokyo 164-0003 JAPAN Tel.: +81-(0) 3 33 63 66 31 Fax: +81-(0) 3 33 63 75 82 E-mail: info@hf-japan

JETRO Düsseldorf Koenigsallee 58 40212 Duesseldorf GERMANY Tel.: +49-(0) 211 - 13 60 20 Fax: +49-(0) 211 - 32 64 11 www.jetro.de

Your contact at Deutsche Messe in Hannover Deutsche Messe Messegelände D-30521 Hannover Germany

Lynn Stamenkovic, Project Director Tel. +49-(0) 511-89-31322 [email protected] Eleonora Colotta, Project Assistant Tel. +49-(0) 511-89-31136 Fax: +49-(0) 511-89-30506 [email protected] Imprint Published by Deutsche Messe D-30521 Hannover, Germany Lynn Stamenkovic (resp.) Editor: Anne Winkel-Kirch Photos: Deutsche Messe, Fotolia, Phoenix Contact, Yaskawa-Motoman Text reproduction authorized on condition that the source is indicated; courtesy copy requested.