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Issue 12	[April 2007] 
                            OCCI e-Magazine
                 http://www.osaka.cci.or.jp/e/index.html
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[CONTENTS, April 2007]

1. Virtual Business Talks (V.B.T.)

  ・ with participation fees reduced, application accepted up to April 30

2. Entrepreneurial Museum of Challenge and Innovation (EMCI)

  ・ to learn from entrepreneurs’ enterprising spirit

3. OCCI International Division report on VIP visitors

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1.　 Virtual Business Talks (V.B.T.) 2007

Application for participation in Stage 1 accepted up to April 30.

Sponsored by the Promotion Committee of Global Business Opportunities 
(Chairman: Mr. Akio NOMURA who is Chairman of OCCI), V.B.T. continues to be held, 
and for Stage 1 of V.B.T. 2007, application is accepted up to the end of this month. 
The purpose of this event is to expedite promotion of international business through 
dispatches of information, in both Japanese and English, on companies’ products and 
services at individual booths set up in a virtual exhibition hall on the Internet. 
Participating foreign companies can benefit from the service offered at V.B.T. to be 
introduced to such Japanese companies that can meet their business needs. In 2006, 
average 8.2 Japanese companies were introduced to a foreign company through this 
‘business-matching’ service.

As from 2007, V.B.T. participation fee was reduced to 40,000 yen 
(formerly 60,000 yen) per booth, and also the service of introducing Japanese companies 
has been made optional to further reduce the fee to 20,000 yen for those who need no such 
service, making V.B.T. an even more convenient and easily affordable tool for foreign 
companies to expand their business in Japan.

At this event, restricted business talks can be conducted in cooperation with 
overseas organizations. For example, as recently as February 22, such meetings were 
organized together with the Pusan Chamber of Commerce and Industry prearranging 61 cases 
of business talks for 15 Korean companies, aiming for contracts of business worth 11.45 
million U.S. dollars on that day alone.

For V.B.T. 2007, application is accepted, from time to time, for 5 stages 
(from Stage 1 to Stage 5), and those accepted into Stage 1 remain to be publicly shown 
on the Internet for one year from June 1, 2007.

* Contact: (Virtual Business Talks: V.B.T.)  http://www.g-boc.com/vbt/e/

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2. Entrepreneurial Museum of Challenge and Innovation (EMCI)

To learn from entrepreneurs’ enterprising spirit

In the economic development of modern-times Japan, many entrepreneurs’ activities 
in Osaka since the Meiji era have provided the driving force, as represented in postwar 
years by Mr. Konosuke MATSUSHITA (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.), Mr. Momofuku ANDO 
(Nisshin Shokuhin Co., Ltd.) and many others. EMCI was established by OCCI in June 2001, 
in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of OCCI’s founding, as Japan’s first unique museum 
to widely introduce 105 such entrepreneurs with displays reflecting on their achievements, 
for visitors to directly feel their enterprising spirit, lofty ambition, abundant ideas, 
keen insight, strong will to carry through etc.

Since the opening, EMCI has attracted over 70,000 visitors, not only from all over 
Japan but also from more than 100 countries overseas, gaining great public favors endorsed 
by comments such as ; “…have been inspired with fresh courage by facing the entrepreneurs”,
 “…rediscovered the attraction of Osaka”.

The OCCI-managed EMCI is the facility that enables visitors to learn from their 
enterprising spirit, as well as to get to know the background history of Osaka’s industries 
and main enterprises. With audio-guiding service in Japanese, English and Chinese (Mandarin), 
EMCI heartily welcomes delegations and visitors from overseas on their visit to Osaka!!

<Entrepreneurial Museum of Challenge and Innovation>
Open : Tues./ Thur./ Fri./ Sat. 10:00a.m. - 4:30p.m. (entry by 4:00p.m.)
Wed.                10:00a.m. - 8:00p.m. (entry by 7:30p.m.)
Closed : Sunday, Monday, public holiday
Fee per person : Adult :\300, Student:\100, *Schoolchild & younger : free,
 65 year-old & older, the handicapped :\200
* to be accompanied by guardian or group leader

* Contact: (Entrepreneurial Museum of Challenge and Innovation: EMCI) 
            http://www.osaka.cci.or.jp/e/activ/human.html 

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3. OCCI International Division report on VIP visitors

*  March 22 (Thu)　Mr. Miguel Ruiz-Cabanas Izquierdo, Ambassador
			    Embassy of the United Mexican States, Tokyo

*  March 23 (Fri)  Mr. Eli-Eliahu COHEN, Ambassador
			    Embassy of Israel, Tokyo

*  March 28 (Wed)  Mr. Peteris Vaivars, Ambassador
			    Embassy of the Republic of Latvia, Tokyo

*  March 29 (Thu)　Mr. Mykola Kulinich, Ambassador
		 	    Embassy of Ukraine, Tokyo

*  April 10 (Tue)　Mr. Paul Lynch, Consul-General
			    British Consulate-General, Osaka

*  April 13 (Fri)　Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council
			    People's Republic of China

*  April 13 (Fri)　Mr. Rene Andre, Chairman of the Board
			    UBI FRANCE

*  April 16 (Mon)　Mr. Supote Isarankura na Ayudhaya, Consul-General
			    Royal Thai Consulate-General, Osaka
			    
*  April 17 (Tue)　Mr. Gyula Dabronaki, Ambassador
			    Embassy of The Republic of Hungary

*  April 18 (Wed)　Mr. Narendra Modi, Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat
			    State of Gujarat, India

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