BUSINESS SEMINAR IN TOKYO

Leading players from the Japanese smart card market gave their full support to a one-day business seminar hosted by GlobalPlatform, the cross-industry smart card organisation, on 5 February 2002 at Tokyo’s NTT Musashino R&D Centre. Over 220 delegates attended the event, which raised awareness of GlobalPlatform and its objectives within the Japanese market and presented the GlobalPlatform Specifications to Japanese representatives involved in the smart card industry.

The ‘sell out‘ seminar opened with a keynote speech from Mr Shuhei Kishimoto from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Delegates were then addressed with a number of presentations from GlobalPlatform Members representing BT Ignite, Hitachi, JCB, MasterCard International, NTT Corporation, Oberthur Card Systems and Visa International. These presentations focused on the visions and strategies for multiple application smart cards and gave the perspectives of leading, global smart card players on industry trends and their impact on the Japanese market. Members of the GlobalPlatform Board of Directors also took part in a ‘Question and Answer’ session with attendees.

GlobalPlatform Specifications are fast becoming the industry standard for advancing global smart card growth and the seminar aimed to engage more Japanese organisations to become involved with the organisation and take part in steering its technical and strategic Committees forward.

Steve Brown, Chairman of GlobalPlatform and Head of Business Development (Messaging and Security) at BT Ignite comments: “To continue advancing towards a global infrastructure for multiple application smart card development, it is vital that GlobalPlatform has the support and input of the Japanese smart card industry. The Business Seminar was designed not only to be beneficial to all delegates and speakers, in terms of the knowledge that was shared, but to also encourage more Japanese organisations to become involved in driving GlobalPlatform forward. We are delighted with the huge turnout and the positive feedback received from delegates. We now look forward to welcoming new Members who have been encouraged to join GlobalPlatform as a direct result of the seminar.”

Further information on GlobalPlatform and membership can be found at www. globalplatform.org

For further information on GlobalPlatform, please contact Laura Summers/ Lee’ann Connell at Sinclair Mason on Tel: +44 (0) 870 606 0960 or email lauras@sinclairmason.com or leeannc@sinclairmason.com