EFRAG and the SSBJ Meet in Brussels to Jointly Host Outreach Event on the ESRS-40a Exposure Draft and to Hold Bilateral Meeting
Representatives of EFRAG – Europe’s voice in Corporate Reporting and the Sustainability Standards Board of Japan (SSBJ) met in Brussels to jointly host an outreach event on the Exposure Draft of the ESRS for Certain Non-EU Undertakings in Accordance with Article 40a of the Accounting Directive (ESRS-40a ED) on 25 September 2026. A wide range of stakeholders, primarily from Japan, participated in the event online.
In addition to the outreach event, representatives of EFRAG and the SSBJ also held a private bilateral meeting. During the meeting, EFRAG and the SSBJ provided updates on their respective activities and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including the ESRS-40a ED.
EFRAG and the SSBJ plan to maintain and enhance their good and long relationship and to continue to exchange views on a regular basis.
Chiara Del Prete, Chair of the EFRAG SR TEG, stated:
“It was a pleasure to welcome the SSBJ to Brussels and to jointly host this outreach event on the ESRS-40a Exposure Draft. Engaging directly with Japanese stakeholders is essential to developing standards that work well in practice, and this event gave us valuable insights into the perspectives of preparers and other stakeholders in Japan. We greatly value our close cooperation with the SSBJ, which reflects our shared commitment to interoperability and to reducing unnecessary reporting burden for companies operating across our respective jurisdictions. We look forward to building further on this strong relationship in the months ahead.”
Yasunobu Kawanishi, Chair of the SSBJ, stated:
“I would like to thank the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting team for hosting us in Brussels. We are particularly grateful that this occasion also provided us with the opportunity to jointly host the outreach event on the ESRS-40a ED, building on the longstanding relationship between EFRAG and the SSBJ. Many Japanese entities that will be subject to SSBJ Standards are likely to be subject to ESRS-40a, and Japanese stakeholders are interested in minimising the burden of applying both sets of standards. We look forward to continuing and further strengthening our close relationship with EFRAG in the future.”
