Welcome to the latest edition of JETRO Spotlight USA, JETRO USA's national e-newsletter featuring the latest articles and events on our website. Each month JETRO brings you relevant and timely articles highlighting business opportunities between the United States and Japan along with updates on JETRO seminars and events.

Contents in this newsletter:

• Northeast Japan Becomes Testing Ground for Renewable Energy Projects

• Car Town Creator Cie Games Announces Tokyo Office
• Fruit Smoothie Retailer Robeks CEO Comments on Company's Post-Quake Japan Outlook

• Opportunities in Japan's Mobile Internet Market
• Japanese Green Tea Showcase for Food Professionals
• JAPAN/JETRO booth @ American Film Market 2011
• Japanese Ingredients at Worlds of Flavor 2011: Call for Applications from Food Manufacturers
• Japan's Automotive Industry: Achieving Recovery and Growth Through Monozukuri ものづく り復興セミナー

• Leveraging Japan's Cleantech Innovation Into Partnership & Business
• CONNECTIONS Europe 2011

Japan Cleantech Sector Update

Read the latest installment of our Cleantech Sector updates, written by Cando Advisors, a consulting firm supporting clients on international business development, strategic alliance and investment, focusing on the Japanese market.

Northeast Japan Becomes Testing Ground for Renewable Energy Projects

Includes:

• From Waste to Energy
• Sendai's Eco Town Gains Business Support
• An EV Eco Town in Yamagata
• Help from Silicon Valley

News Update: Companies making progress in Japan

Keep an eye on what companies are doing in Japan with this monthly news update.

Car Town Creator Cie Games Announces Tokyo Office
September 8, 2011

Based in Long Beach, Calif., Cie Games, a social game developer and creator of the Facebook game Car Town, announced the company?s expansion to Japan and the release of Car Town Japan on Mobage, Japan's mobile social platform. As stated in a company press release, "The game debuts on DeNA's mobile social network, Mobage, which services 30 million users."

Sources: Company press release  and company representative


Fruit Smoothie Retailer Robeks CEO Comments on Company's Post-Quake Japan Outlook
September 12, 2011

Last month we shared that Los Angeles, Calif.-based fruit smoothie retailer Robeks announced the opening in Tokyo of its first of 500 Asian stores. We asked Steve Davidson, CEO of Robeks, whether the March 11 earthquake and nuclear disaster has affected the company's outlook for its business in Japan, and why Robeks has moved forward with opening the Japan office in light of these events.

He responded, "The Japanese people are among the most resilient people in the world. We discussed the possibility of delaying the opening with our Master Franchisee, Mr. Masahiro Koh, and he was quite certain about moving forward with the development of the market in Japan and the opening of the first store, not in spite of the situation, but because of it. He felt that a Robeks store in Tokyo would give the residents something to look forward to. The long lines out the door each day of our first week of operation suggest that it was the right decision.

"We believe that the resourceful people of Japan will recover rapidly from the recent natural disaster and quickly restore the damaged sectors of Northern Japan. Mr. Koh and I both believe that the best remedy for a natural disaster is to get back to business as usual as soon as possible."

Source: Company representative

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See how you can use JETRO's free services to establish your company's office in Japan.

 
 

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Upcoming Events

JETRO-Organized Events

Opportunities in Japan's Mobile Internet Market

Date:	Thursday, October 20, 2011
Location:	JETRO New York
	1221 Avenue of the Americas 42 Fl
	New York, NY 10020
	This seminar will discuss recent trends and business opportunities in Japan's growing mobile internet market and how it relates to IT companies in the US.

Japanese Green Tea Showcase for Food Professionals

Date:	Thursday, October 20, 2011
Location:	Kendall College
	900 N. North Branch St.
	Chicago, IL 60622
	Be there for an inspiring afternoon as tea producers and importers bring their best from Japan for you to sample. This is an exceptional opportunity to compare many varietals of green tea and tea-related products.

JAPAN/JETRO booth @ American Film Market 2011

Date:	Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Location:	Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
	1700 Ocean Avenue
	Santa Monica, CA 90401
	JETRO will once again host the Japan Pavilion Booth, which features eleven outstanding up and coming Japanese film distributors, each promoting their new provocative, original films.

Japanese Ingredients at Worlds of Flavor 2011: Call for Applications from Food Manufacturers

Date:	Thursday, November 3, 2011 - Saturday, November 5, 2011
Location:	The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
	2255 Main Street
	St. Helena, CA 94574
	JETRO will be participating in Worlds of Flavor 2011, a conference held in Napa that brings together the top level of culinary professionals from around the globe. We are seeking Japanese food manufacturers interested in supplying their products for our cooking demonstration. We believe this could be a great opportunity for manufacturers to get their products known in the U.S.

Japan's Automotive Industry: Achieving Recovery and Growth Through Monozukuri ものづくり復興セミナー

Date:	Thursday, December 8, 2011
Location:	Suburban Showplace Collection
	46100 Grand River Ave
	Novi, MI 48374
	This seminar will explore the impact of the devasting earthquake and tsunami on Japanese automakers and parts suppliers, and how collaboration enabled a quicker than expected recovery through the shared Mindset of Monozukuri.

Third-Party Events

Leveraging Japan's Cleantech Innovation Into Partnership & Business

Date:	Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Location:	Fenwick & West LLP
	801 California St.
	Mountain View, CA 94041
	In this program we hear what Panasonic R&D USA and other Japanese multi-nationals in NEDO projects are working on and we will discuss how they are positioning themselves for success and what models they see for cooperation with U.S. and Silicon Valley based companies.
Organizer:	Keizai Society

CONNECTIONS Europe 2011

Date:	Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Location:	Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre
	Piet Heinkade 11
	1019 BR Amsterdam
	Netherlands
	CONNECTIONS Europe is part of the CONNECTIONS Conference Series, hosted by international market research firm, Parks Associates. These interactive events host 100-125 executives in an intimate setting to learn, network, and address key issues relevant to digital products and services for consumers.
Organizer:	Parks Associates

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We welcome your comments or suggestions for future article topics. Feel free to contact us at www.jetro.org/contact