Looking back at recent economic conditions, I believe that the era of Asian leadership in the global economy will arrive in the not-too-distant future. As the development of IT makes it possible to communicate globally in real time, the construction of hub airports in Asian countries dramatically increases the convenience of international flights, and significantly shrinks the sense of physical distance between countries. At the same time, there has been great expansion of production and the consumer market, and Asia overall has already become one large economic region, not limited to the borders of each country.

In spite of such conditions, although there are many economic organizations in Japan, as far as I know there are no groups that take all of Asia into consideration in their activities. I believe that now is the time for a cooperative Asian association that allows business and economic leaders from not only Japan, but the other countries of Asia as well, to gather, associate, and grow together.

Another aim of the Association is to provide policy and social recommendations to solve the issues and problems that are sensed and faced by the operators of small and medium-sized companies in Japan and the operators of companies in other Asian countries in the course of daily business, and to work personally to improve regulations and laws. When our members have worries, are unsure what to do, or face significant difficulties, I would like the Association to be a place in which they can exchange wisdom and help each other.

Further, economic growth alone is not sufficient to allow the countries of Asia overall to grow and develop. It can only be achieved through a balance of politics and economics. I feel that it is vital for business leaders to be proactively involved in politics and the operation of the nation, utilizing their management strength. I believe that part of our mission is to produce politicians from among Association membership, in order to increase the number of politicians who have business sense, even by one person.

We will work to make the Association an organization that business leaders view as beneficial, enjoyable, and informative, and to expand it to include thousands, even tens of thousands, of companies throughout Asia in the future, making it an organization that is able to provide suggestions regarding political and economic issues throughout Asia.