DATE |
EVENT |
February 5 (Human Resources) |
How to Develop Japanese Talents to Become Global Leaders: Lessons from Ancient Rome (J)
Mr. Satoshi Ishizaka, Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered Bank Japan
The focus of this talk was how to develop capable Japanese staff to become global leaders. Thought-provoking ideas were raised based on practices of the ancient Romans which present vital lessons many can learn from. (Attendance: 31) |
February 21 (BSC) |
BSC General Managers Meeting and Reception
The IBA’s Banking Sector Committee (BSC) held its third General Managers meeting at Standard Chartered Bank’s Priority Banking Branch in Marunouchi. The event featured a keynote address by Mr. Ryozo Himino, Director of Banks Division I at the FSA’s Supervisory Bureau, who discussed the gap in profitability of Japanese banks compared to their international peers. Mr. Himino raised ten hypotheses to explain the gap, which led to a lively question and answer session.
The speech was followed by a reception, which was well attended by senior level representatives from IBA member banks and high-ranking officials from the FSA, BOJ, METI and SESC. The opportunity for BSC members and senior government officials to meet informally proved extremely constructive. (Attendance: 75) |
March 11 (Legal/Regulatory) |
Briefing on the Current Administration of the Domestic Helper Visa System (J) Financial Services Agency (FSA) and Tokyo Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice The IBA made considerable efforts in 2007 to advocate for relaxed procedures for sponsoring visas for domestic helpers. In response to a request by the FSA, the Tokyo Immigration Bureau briefed financial institutions on the current administration of the current system. The high number of attendees was an indication that this issue is important to financial institutions. (Attendance: 100) |
March 25
(Training) |
Financial Sector Compliance and Regulatory Seminar (J/E) Mr. Harry Saito, CEO and Managing Director, KFi K.K. This lecture provided insights into the future direction of the FSA and the SESC, key issues and impacts of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law (FIEL), governance and general supervisory guidance, and the basic FSA/SESC inspection policy and practical measures for IBA member firms to use in a regulatory inspection. (Attendance: 99) |
April 4 (Training) |
Customer Protection Seminar (J) Mr. Taku Umezawa, Attorney-at-Law and Senior Associate, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu Law Office A recognized expert on the FSA’s Financial Inspection Manual and customer protection issues, Mr. Taku Umezawa discussed the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law (FIEL) and customer protection management, as well as the legal and compliance systems under the updated Supervisory Guidelines. (Attendance: 51) |
May 26 (Training) |
Full Day Introduction to Compliance Issues for Foreign Banks (J) Mr. Yoshiki Uchida, President, MDP Advisory Co., Ltd. This full day course was conducted twice in 2007 and targets employees of foreign banks requiring an up-to-date introduction to the legal, regulatory and compliance framework for foreign banks in Japan. (Attendance: 35) |
May 28
(Human Resources) |
Employment Trends Affecting Foreign Financial Institutions (E) Mr. David Swan, Director, Financial Services, Robert Walters Japan This overview of the employment market in Japan addressed challenges and recent trends in recruiting for foreign financial institutions, the impact of the subprime crisis and observations based on a salary survey. (Attendance: 36) |
June 4 (Financial Markets) |
Recent Financial Market Conditions in Japan and Overseas (E) Mr. Hiroshi Nakaso, Director General, Financial Markets Department, Bank of Japan This forum highlighted market conditions overseas and in Japan, including the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) strategies to confront issues of liquidity which have emerged during recent periods of instability. (Attendance: 54) |
June 11 (Legal/Regulatory) |
Ministry of Finance Briefing on Revisions to the Foreign Exchange Inspection Manual (J) Mr. Kazushi Sato, Mr. Satoshi Funabashi & Mr. Hiroshi Yamashita, MOF Three foreign exchange examiners from the Ministry of Finance gave an exclusive briefing for IBA members on the recent revisions to the foreign exchange inspection manual, which was updated primarily to reflect changes arising from the new Law for the Prevention of Transfer Criminal Proceeds that came into force in March 2008. (Attendance: 41) |
June 26 (Legal/Regulatory) |
Progress Report on the FSA’s Efforts Towards Better Regulation (E) Mr. Takafumi Sato, Commissioner, Financial Services Agency Commissioner Sato spoke on the FSA’s first progress report on its efforts towards the implementation of the “Better Regulation” initiative, and key challenges ahead. A lively Q&A session followed. (Attendance: 140) |
June 30 (Legal/Regulatory & BCP-DR-IT Security) |
BOJ’s On-Site Examinations & Business Continuity Planning (BCP) (J with interpretation) Mr. Shuichi Uemura, Mr. Haruhisa Oyama & Mr. Toru Saito, Financial Systems and Bank Examination Department, Bank of Japan Three senior BOJ officials presented core elements of on-site examinations and shared comments on leading practices and viewpoints of examiners in regards to Business Continuity Management (BCM). (Attendance: 80) |
July 4
(Legal/Regulatory) |
Joint Presentation on “Independent Agent” of Permanent Establishment Taxation (J) Speakers included representatives from the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the National Tax Agency (NTA), and the Financial Services Agency (FSA) In connection with PE taxation of foreign funds, the MOF, NTA and FSA made a joint presentation on the interpretation of “Independent Agent”. Their explanation was supported by case studies and a Q&A session. (Attendance: 53) |
September 9 (Financial Markets) |
Standard & Poor’s Outlook for Japanese Banks and Japan’s Public Finances (E) Ms. Naoko Nemoto, Managing Director, Corporate Government Ratings
Mr. Takahira Ogawa, Director, Sovereign & International Public Finance Ratings
Two top analysts from Standard & Poor’s discussed the health of the Japanese banking system in light of global financial market instability and the outlook for Japan’s sovereign rating. (Attendance: 60) |
September 18 (Legal/Regulatory) |
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission’s Basic Inspection Guideline and Plan for 2009 (E)
Mr. Toshitake Kurosawa, Director, Inspection Division, Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission Mr. Toshitake Kurosawa gave an overview of the SESC’s updated inspection policy guidelines, and the SESC’s plan to develop and implement strategies to achieve more efficient and effective inspections. (Attendance: 49) |
September 25
(Training) |
FSA and SESC Inspections: Preparing Your “Day One” Package and Orienting Your Staff to Their Role in a Regulatory Inspection (E) Mr. Christopher Wells, Partner, White & Case LLP Mr. Christopher Wells addressed how to orient staff to understand the purpose and procedures for regulatory inspections in Japan and how to better prepare for the FSA/SESC onsite inspection process. (Attendance: 68) |
September 29 (Training) |
Full Day Introduction in English to Compliance Issues for Foreign Banks (E) Mr. Yoshiki Uchida, President, MDP Advisory Co., Ltd. This full day course was conducted in Japanese twice in 2007 and once in May 2008. Similar to the seminars in Japanese, this training in English introduced the legal, regulatory and compliance framework for foreign banks in Japan and included hands-on, practical case studies. (Attendance: 32) |
October 29 (Human Resources) |
Effective Communication and Management of Employee Benefit Programs (E) Mr. Jim Humphrey, Representative Director, Hewitt Associates K.K. This talk addressed trends and new initiatives associated with the administration and maintenance of employee benefit programs. (Attendance: 16) |
November 13
(Legal/Regulatory) |
The FSA’s Basic Inspection Policy for 2008-09 (E) Mr. Takashi Nagaoka, Director, Planning & Research Office Mr. Makoto Sonoda, Deputy Director, Inspection Coordination Division Two officials from the FSA’s Inspection Bureau gave an overview of developments related to bank inspections. They discussed the Bureau’s efforts towards "Better Regulation" initiatives in the area of financial inspections and current focuses and priorities. (Attendance: 62) |
November 13 (Financial Markets) |
Standard & Poor’s Asia Pacific Outlook for 2009 (E) Mr. Subir Gokarn, Chief Economist, Standard & Poor’s, Asia Pacific Mr. Subir Gokarn provided views on Asia’s macroeconomic situation in light of the financial crisis and an outlook for the region’s markets in 2009. (Attendance: 23) |
November 25 (IBA Annual General Meeting) |
2008 IBA Annual General Meeting and Reception (E) The IBA held its 24th Annual General Meeting at the Hotel Okura, welcoming over 80 senior executives of member firms, primarily CEO’s, GMs and department heads. Opening remarks were given by Mr. Seiji Sugiyama, Chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association (JBA) and President and CEO of Mizuho Bank. At the end of the meeting there was a special address by Mr. Naoyuki Shinohara, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, the MOF’s top official for international financial issues who discussed the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the prospect for increased international cooperation on financial markets and regulatory issues. The reception which followed was well-attended by senior executives of members firms, public sector officials including Bank of Japan Governor Shirakawa, and financial attachés and central bank representatives from key countries. (Attendance: 150) |
December 1 (Legal/Regulatory) |
Firewalls Deregulation: IBA Technical Briefing on the FSA’s Plans (J) Speakers included representatives from the IBA Legal & Compliance Working Group and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune Law Office Representatives from the IBA Legal & Compliance Working Group and two lawyers from Anderson Mori & Tomotsune made a joint presentation to provide IBA members with an understanding of the FSA’s firewalls deregulation draft Ordinances and Supervisory Guidelines which were released for public comment on November 14. (Attendance: 52) |
December 9 (Human Resources) |
Managing the Consequences of the Lifetime Employment System and Labor Law Update (E) Mr. Peter Godwin, Partner, Herbert Smith Mr. Dominic Roughton, Partner, Herbert Smith This update focused on how to handle redundancies by addressing the strategic decisions required to resolve issues arising from terminations and the reasons behind those decisions.
(Attendance: 49) |
December 17 (Legal/Regulatory) |
FSA Briefing on the New Foreign Bank Agency Business Regime (J) Mr. Masami Yaneda, Deputy Director, Office of Credit System, Planning & Coordination Bureau Mr. Yoshihiko Yamamoto, Deputy Director, Banks Division I, Supervisory Bureau This exclusive briefing to the IBA highlighted requirements under the new foreign bank agency business regime which came into force on December 12.
(Attendance: 82) |