Echoing an effective practice in the US and Europe, eBay Japan recently held a virtual seller fly-in event in Tokyo. Four Japanese eBay sellers joined this event, representing a diverse set of businesses that included anime and collectibles, second-hand brand bags/accessories/watches, and second-hand cameras. Joining online due to COVID-19 restrictions in Japan, the sellers met with Mr. Naokazu Takemoto, Member of the House of Representatives and a former Minister in charge of Science & Technology policy, as well as 16 officials from various ministries and agencies, including the Consumer Affairs Agency, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency and the Japan Patent Office. Masayuki Okada, Head of eBay Cross-Border Trade (CBT) Japan, and Yasuhiro Tsuchida, Head of eBay GR also joined the event. The eBay sellers focused their discussions on CBT exporting.

Mr. Naokazu Takemoto delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of government support for small and mid-sized companies. The eBay seller representatives voiced their opinions about consumer-to-consumer cross-border trade and their operational issues that require government support. The officials from the ministries responded to the issues raised by the sellers. After the government meetings, eBay seller Mr. Yuuki Shishido (anime and collectibles) also met virtually with eBay CEO, Jamie Iannone.   

The feedback from all of the participants was very positive and eBay Government Relations is strongly considering more meetings like this one in the near future.