KYOTO -- Kansai region business leaders on Thursday called for increased local government involvement in business promotion, strengthened relations with Asia and better understanding of the security arrangement with the U.S. during their annual seminar here.
The two-day 39th annual Kansai Economic Seminar, jointly sponsored by the Kansai Productivity Center and the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, began with a call for the around 300 participants to begin a new debate on Japan's economy.
The call came from Yoshihisa Akiyama, Kansai Economic Federation chairman, and echoed the philosophy espoused by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in his "Third Way" principle.