China and Japan are separated only by a strip of water. The interweaving of history and reality often makes Sino-Japanese relations show complex and strong emotions. A complicated world needs a prism. China is the brightest star in emerging markets, and Japan is the leader in developed countries. 2007 is the year of cultural and sports exchange between China and Japan. As one of the most influential financial media in China, it is duty-bound to promote the people's livelihood and well-being of China and Japan.
At the beginning of 2007, this edition published a series of reports on China-Japan Exchange 2007. In April, Zhao Yining, a senior reporter of this newspaper, went to Japan to write an Interview with Japan 100 People, which was published continuously, and described a "Japan in transition" from a realistic perspective (CITIC Publishing House). In June, Zhang Fengan, a special correspondent of this newspaper, went to Japan again to observe Japan from the perspective of neoliberalism and dissect the economic relations and business opportunities between China and Japan.
The reporter visited the core government departments, research institutions and enterprises such as Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan External Trade Organization, Industrial Economic Research Institute and large companies for seven consecutive days, and moved to Osaka, Tokyo and other places to deeply explore Japan's opening-up strategy, economic restructuring, industrial upgrading, energy conservation and environmental protection, regional competition and cooperation, large transportation system, cultural export and other micro-fields, trying to outline the figure of Japan's neo-liberalism.
In a year's time, our reporter went to Japan twice, trying to present more authentic Japan, more authentic Sino-Japanese relations and more colorful Sino-Japanese relations. If so, the editor should be careful. I hope that the people's livelihood of China and Japan will be prosperous.
This edition will publish the 2007 Sino-Japanese Exchange written by our reporter Zhang Fengan, and this issue is the opening.
Japan ranks 14 in the United Nations index of potential inward investment, with huge investment potential. However, Japan has lagged far behind 13 1 countries in the ratio of inward direct investment balance to /GDP. This has brought all kinds of difficulties.
In the complex world, the Japanese are trying to solve this paradox, and the efforts to open up investment have begun, which has benefited China enterprises a lot. In 2006, Wuxi Suntech acquired Japanese solar cell manufacturer "MSK", which became a classic case in the eyes of Japanese Industry-University-Research and even officials.
Building a country through trade and restricting direct investment in Japan is an open economic strategy that Japan has maintained for nearly 60 years after the war. Now, it has to pay more price and effort for this open limit to attract investment.
"We will warmly accept investment of more than 65,438+0 yen." At the headquarters of the Japan External Trade Organization, the director of Japan's direct investment, Maekawa, told this reporter.
When many fields in China have entered the stage of investment promotion and capital selection, Japan began to put down its stance, which is nothing more than emphasizing its determination to attract foreign investment.
This is the political legacy of former Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi. On June 5438+ 10, 2003, Koizumi announced in his policy address the plan to increase his investment in Japan by 1 times within five years. This is the first time in nearly 60 years after the war that Japan has explicitly raised its investment in Japan to the national strategic level. This move is considered to be Japan's reopening to bridge the limits of openness.
At the end of 2006, the accumulated balance of Japanese overseas investment reached 534.76 billion yen, while domestic direct investment was only 65.438+0.28033 billion yen, more than four times that of domestic investment, which was reflected in its balance of payments, that is, the excessive outflow of Japanese capital.
This state has been going on for many years, but the problem is suddenly brought up again.
"Under the impact of declining birthrate and aging, such a situation has become a hidden worry of the Japanese economy." Akihito Hirai, who is in charge of the overseas competition information survey of Japanese companies, told reporters. As the head of overseas investigation department of Japan External Trade Organization, Hirai collects global economic information reports and submits them directly to Japanese economic decision-making authorities.
Two five-year goals
After Abe's cabinet came to power in 2006, it further accelerated the layout of investment in Japan and revised Koizumi's goal, that is, it no longer mentioned the absolute growth goal of direct investment in Japan, but revised it to "double the ratio of domestic direct investment balance to /GDP." The time to achieve the goal has also been delayed from 2007 to 20 10.
At this time, Japan has fallen far behind 13 1 country in the ratio of inward direct investment balance to /GDP. After Abe took office in 2006, the recent comparison shows that by the end of 2005, the proportion in Japan was only 1.9%, that in the United States was 13%, and that in Britain was 37. 1%.
In order to promote the smooth progress of investment in Japan, Japan has taken actions from the central government, local governments to important economic and administrative independent legal persons.
In March 2003, when formulating the procedures for promoting investment in Japan, specific measures and suggestions were put forward, such as canceling the restrictions on information transmission at home and abroad, improving the business environment, modifying administrative procedures, improving the employment and living environment, and improving local and national systems.
As the efforts of the government, the support of Japan External Trade Organization and Japan Policy Investment Bank for direct investment in Japan is very important. The Japan External Trade Organization not only provides relevant information on investment in Japan, but also holds overseas investment seminars to bridge the gap between enterprises interested in investing and local governments.
The sixth floor of the Japan External Trade Organization, located near the center of Tokyo, even provides free offices and conference rooms for foreign enterprises planning to enter Japan for 50 days, and provides them with sufficient investment information.
For Tokyo, where land is scarce, this practice attracts more than 65,438+0,000 European and American enterprises to apply for residence every year. ZTE, a giant communication equipment company in China, has also set up a representative office in Japan, and its springboard is the Japan External Trade Organization.
"The official background of the Japan External Trade Organization has directly shortened our procedures for investing in Japan." Wang Ruixin, head of ZTE Japan Representative Office, told the reporter.
In addition, Japan Policy Investment Bank also conducts overseas activities to introduce direct investment in Japan and accepts investment and financing advice from foreign-funded enterprises interested in investing in Japan.
Japanese local governments, like China local governments, are more active because they involve their own interests. In order to quickly transmit investment information and simplify procedures, a special agency was set up to handle all procedures at one time and actively carry out the work of introducing industries.
Japan's Foreign Direct Investment Challenge
Japan has its own confidence in the foreign direct investment strategy.
The United Nations has analyzed the relationship between domestic direct investment in 12 countries and GDP growth rate, higher education enrollment rate, infrastructure perfection and other factors that have an important impact on domestic direct investment. This value is called the potential domestic direct investment index, which represents the expected domestic direct investment considering a country's economic structure.
The analysis results greatly boosted Japan's confidence. According to the latest year's survey data, Japan's ranking in 2000-2002 was 16, which is in sharp contrast with the aforementioned reality that Japan's foreign direct investment in 140 countries was ranked as 132. Therefore, we can only say that Japan is a potential destination to attract foreign direct investment.
Surprisingly, no one has ever made a decent investigation and analysis of the above differences, and why the level of inward direct investment in Japan has remained at such a low level. This also confirms Japan's attitude towards attracting direct investment from the side.
Until 2002, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan conducted a questionnaire survey on enterprises investing in Japan, and explained that high cost was the most pointed obstacle for enterprises. Specifically, it is considered that labor costs and office rents are higher than those in other countries. Secondly, the obstacle pointed out by many enterprises is that customers' requirements are too high. According to the response rate, other obstacles are high tax rate, complicated circulation channels, and business practices that restrict competition, which bring difficulties to new enterprises.
However, this result is specious. Because the United States, which is highly homogeneous with Japan, attracted $654.38+075 billion in direct investment in 2006 alone, which is equivalent to twice the accumulated balance of direct investment in Japan over the years.
Hidjiro Urata, a researcher at the Institute of Economics and Industry, a Japanese government think tank, believes that it is hard to say that companies investing in the United States will not encounter obstacles such as high costs. However, many obstacles pointed out by foreign companies, such as high cost structure and high customer requirements, cannot be solved by the government's policy toward foreign companies.
There is a simple and powerful explanation for this complicated problem: what is the government doing?
Researcher Hidjiro Urata said that some obstacles pointed out by foreign enterprises can be solved by the government. For example, high tax rate, business practices that restrict competition make it difficult for new enterprises, closed industry groups make it difficult to obtain information, imperfect infrastructure, restrictions and government guidance, and preferential measures are difficult to obtain.
"Among them, restrictions and government guidance are not only the obstacles that the government can directly solve, but according to several analysis results, it is the biggest obstacle to foreign investment." Researcher Yasujiro Urata concluded.
However, for Japan, which has long adhered to the limits of openness, it is not that the Prime Minister can easily solve the problem that has been entangled for many years in one policy address.
For example, in March 2003, in the Procedures for Promoting Investment in Japan, specific measures such as information transmission at home and abroad, improving business environment, modifying administrative procedures, improving employment and living environment, and improving local and national systems were put forward.
"I hope that the administrative organizations related to these suggestions can take action quickly, but it seems that many parts are not very satisfactory." Researcher Hidjiro Urata said, "Although some people think that the restrictive policies prohibiting and restricting the entry of foreign enterprises should be lifted, the reason for the delay in lifting the restrictions is the strong opposition from those who will suffer losses due to lifting the restrictions."
China enterprises are in Japan.
Despite these challenges, according to statistics, the situation has been developing towards an increasingly encouraging trend.
At the end of 2002, the accumulated FDI balance in Japan was 94,000 yen, but by the end of 2006 four years later, this figure had reached 12.8 trillion yen, with a four-year increase of 36% and an average annual increase of 9%. Far higher than Japan's economic growth rate.
The market supported by Japanese consumers' strong purchasing power, enterprises and talents with cutting-edge technology, and East Asian countries such as China, the neighboring world development center, will all become the charm of Japan as an investment destination.
The relevant research report of the Japanese government think tank Institute of Economy and Industry analyzes and summarizes the rise of Japanese direct investment as follows: (1) Relaxing restrictions has expanded the fields in which foreign capital can set foot; The increase and acquisition trend of bankrupt enterprises; About absorption and merger (M & amp； A) Establishment and perfection of legal system; Reduce each other's shares; The worldwide upsurge of industrial restructuring; The constant appreciation of the yen and other factors have improved the charm of the market.
Under the above factors, many China enterprises began to boldly enter Japan.
According to the statistics of Japan External Trade Organization, at present, China enterprises have gone abroad to invest in Japan, which has expanded from simple trading organizations to banks, software, machinery (such as Shanghai Electric Group's acquisition of Japan's Chibei in 2004), online games, medicine, communication, catering (Little Sheep hot pot chain store has become a minor celebrity in Tokyo) and so on.
From June 5438 to October 2003, Sanjiu Group acquired Japan's "East Asia Pharmaceutical Factory". In 2006, Wuxi Suntech acquired Japanese solar cell manufacturer "MSK", which has now become a classic case in the eyes of Japanese Industry-University-Research and even officials.
Japan is the first country to conduct solar energy research and industrialization, with 30 years of experience and investment, but Suntech, which was established only six years ago, came from behind, which touched Japan greatly. In the internal report of NEDO, the most important government-run new energy development organization in Japan, Suntech's name is a frequent word.
According to the statistics of Japan External Trade Organization, the number of China enterprises investing in Japan accounts for about 65,438+00%. But in terms of investment, it is not too much.
"China is the key area of our business support center, and China enterprises are welcome, regardless of size." 20071October 26th, 10, the head of Japan Investment Department of Japan External Trade Organization told the reporter. The two accompanying colleagues have been able to speak fluent Chinese.
ZTE (37.65%, -0.62%,-1.62%) has now employed five Japanese employees in its representative office in Japan. It looks like a small representative office, but it is designated by the Japan External Trade Organization to communicate with Wang Ruixiang, the head of the representative office, at least once a month to see if it needs help.
Wang Ruixiang told reporters that ZTE purchases 5 billion yuan of communication equipment parts in Japan every year.
Seiichi Hirai, Minister of Overseas Investigation Department of Japan External Trade Organization, also told this reporter that in order to attract Japanese companies to invest in Japan, all Japanese employees who knew Chinese in Singapore were transferred to China.