Foreign businesses in Japan expect political leaders to facilitate fair competition by promoting further deregulation and harmonizing Japanese standards with global rules, said Isabelle Hupperts, chairwoman of the European Business Community.

"There is great resistance still in Japan to change because change is painful," said Hupperts, who assumed the post 18 months ago. "Politicians, as representatives of the people, should probably facilitate competition for the good of the economy."

The EBC, established in 1972, is the trade policy arm of 13 national European chambers of commerce and other business associations in Japan.