Sir David John to ratify future relations with the Japanese standards community

Visit to sign BSI Group’s cooperation agreement with the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee and to meet with management systems clients

Tokyo, Japan – 2 December 2004 - BSI Group Chairman Sir David John and senior colleagues are in Tokyo this week to sign a Joint Cooperation Agreement with the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC) and meet with other key contacts in both the standardization and management systems arenas.
 
The BSI Group includes the National Standards Body of the United Kingdom and one of the world’s foremost suppliers of management systems assessment services.

The centrepiece of their Japanese visit is the signing of the Joint Cooperation Agreement with JISC on 3 December. Sir David John and Mr Mike Low, Director of British Standards, are signing the Agreement with Mr Yamamoto, President of JISC.  They will also hold discussions with Professor Tanaka, the President-elect of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Mr Takayanagi, President of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Mr Sakakura, President of the Japanese Standards Association.

During the visit, Sir David John will also be presenting to senior members of the Japanese business community on the theme of the benefits of standardization.

Also accompanying the Chairman is Flemming Norklit, Managing Director of BSI Management Systems who will be visiting some key Japanese clients.  The BSI Group has been operating in Japan since 1999, when its Management Systems operation was first set up.  BSI Japan is now one of the fastest growing certification bodies in Japan, with 150 staff operating from locations in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka.  Among its clients are: NTT Group, Ricoh, Hitachi, Sony, Mitsubishi Group and Mitsui Group. 

Sir David John says of this visit to Japan: “We are delighted to be here to sign the Joint Cooperation Agreement with JISC and meet with our partners and valued customers.  I regard personal contacts as vital to building successful and lasting business relationships.  We are particularly excited by the potential for the beneficial exchange of knowledge which the new Agreement with JISC offers.”