FUTURE ORIENTED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURKIYE AND JAPAN TOWARD A VIBRANT AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

After the long-term restrictions to entering foreign countries due to the Corona pandemic were finally eased, In July 2022 I chose the Republic of Türkiye for the destination of my first overseas business trip since start of the pandemic. Starting in 1985 with its elevator business in Türkiye, Mitsubishi Electric has since delivered a wide variety of products and services that support Türkiye’s infrastructure including electric power, transportation and space. In 2012 Mitsubishi Electric established a wholly owned subsidiary sales company in Istanbul. It has since expanded its business with a focus on air conditioning products which are essential for comfortable living, as well as factory automation products that contribute to smart manufacturing.

Today we employ more than 200 people. As President of Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. I was deeply involved in the establishment of the company at that time. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the company’s establishment last July, a milestone in this rapidly changing world. To share in this pleasure with former acquaintances, I chose Türkiye as the destination for my first business trip after the pandemic.

It wasn’t just the travel of people that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the meeting of Japan-Türkiye Joint Business Committee, an annual conference held between the DEIK and the Keidanren which could not be held for four years. In October after a long absence of face-to-face meetings, the 26th Japan- Türkiye Joint Business Committee finally took place in Izmir, Türkiye overlooking the beautiful Aegean Sea. We were able to successfully conclude a joint statement with the participation of many high-level government officials and business leaders from Türkiye and Japan. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all participants and to DEIK and the Keidanren secretariat for their great endeavors. Through two days of fruitful discussions and site visits, I was reminded that in these uncertain and complex times, it is very significant in this globalized world to maintain the historical friendship between Türkiye and Japan, which are located at the two ends of Asia, and to discuss cooperation between the two countries.

Furthermore, regarding the pending Japan-Türkiye EPA, business communities from both countries issued a joint statement calling for an early conclusion. Although there may still be a few items of contention in the negotiations, it would be in the common interest of both countries to overcome them and enjoy the fruits of concluding the EPA as soon as possible and to build a Win-Win relationship.

Mitsubishi Electric Türkiye Klima Sistemleri Uretim A.S. [MACT], is an air conditioning factory which was visited by the participants of the conference as part of the tour of Manisa Industrial Park organized on the second day of the Joint Business Committee. This new factory started producing room air conditioning products in 2018 and currently has around 1,100 employees. It is a strategic factory that makes full use of Türkiye’s geographical advantages and strengths. More than 90% of the products are exported to Europe, contributing to improving Türkiye’s trade balance and foreign currency earnings.

In line with Europe’s major “Green” policy, MACT has started producing Air-to-Water products, which contribute to decarbonization, employing Türkiye’s strengths like market access to the EU and a young, diligent and talented workforce. Air-to-Water technology is more efficient and consumes less energy than products using fossil fuels. It also contributes to achieving carbon neutrality as it produces less CO2 emissions. We will increase production at our factory in Manisa thereby contributing to the realization of carbon neutrality from Türkiye to the world. Finally, I would like to share an anecdote that struck me when I had a short meeting with the president of MACT during my visit to Türkiye. When a great earthquake hit southeastern Türkiye in February of this year, Turkish employees implored him to allow them to send air conditioning product to the affected areas, which were enduring severe cold. Two days after the earthquake Mitsubishi Electric announced that we would make donations to the affected areas through the Turkish Embassy in Japan.

We also decided to ship air conditioning products from our factory in Manisa to the affected area as soon as the power supply was expected to be restored. We sincerely hope for the earliest possible recovery of the affected areas and promise that Mitsubishi Electric, as a member of Turkish society will stand by the people of Türkiye and work together with them to realize a vibrant and sustainable society.