State Secretary Machnig visits Japan to hold talks on the sustainable digitisation of the economyMatthias Machnig, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, will be visiting Japan from 11 to 13 September 2017 to discuss matters regarding the digitisation of industry and trade.

State Secretary Machnig: "Japan and Germany are both export-driven industrial nations. Therefore it is very important that the two countries exchange views on current and future-oriented matters in the field of digitisation. Both governments aim to make their companies and citizens fit for the digital age. Politicians need to create a favourable environment to ensure optimum use of the possibilities of digitisation and get everyone on board. The German-Japanese digital policy dialogue is intended to serve as the framework for the strategic cooperation of our two countries, e.g. in the fields of standardisation and IT security. The dialogue also aims to pave the way for cooperation between companies and research institutes."

State Secretary Machnig will be meeting with the newly appointed Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination (MIC), Mr Masahiko Tominaga, to exchange views on matters regarding the cooperation of the two countries. The issues include 5G technologies and efficient high-speed networks. The items on the agenda also comprise matters regarding competition policy and regulation in the field of telecommunications, as well as initiatives to promote the Internet of Things, cybersecurity and Big Data.

A visit to MITI will provide the opportunity to discuss economic policy issues of mutual interest. There will also be several meetings with representatives of the German and Japanese ICT industries.

Germany is Japan's most important trading partner in the EU. In 2016, the trade volume between Germany and Japan rose by around 8 percent. The major goods imported by Germany from Japan include electronics, machinery and electrical goods. The most important goods that Germany exports to Japan include motor vehicles and machinery. The digitisation of the economy plays a key role for both these sectors.