Q130 What type of organization is Nippon Keidanren?

A130 As explained above, the Japan Business Federation was inaugurated in 2002 when Keidanren and Nikkeiren united. As of May 2006, the 1,658 members include 1,346 leading Japanese companies, 130 industrial associations and 47 regional economic organizations. The organization represents Japan's leading companies.

According to Nippon Keidanren, its mission is to help accelerate the economic growth of Japan and, thereby, the world. This it aims to do both by strengthening corporations-to create additional value so that they can transform the Japanese economy into one that is self-sustaining and driven by the private sector-as well as by encouraging greater vitality among members of society and local communities. This involves gathering the opinions of the business world and communicating them to politicians, particu-larly in the ruling parry, and bureaucrats. The ultimate objective is to support government economic policies.