Supporting Tohoku companies - JETRO invites 50 world buyers

JETRO invites overseas buyers from the lifestyle field to Japan and actively performs support services to encourage business negotiations with Japanese companies. In particular, they invited 50 people from regions around the world including China, the U.S. and Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia from October 27^th through November 5^th in order to support business and expand exports of Tohoku companies that incurred massive damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake. The buyers toured the Tohoku region including Fukushima and Akita as well as attending Tokyo Designer's Week and the Interior Lifestyle Living (IFFT). Eight people from North America participated and had business talks with more than 300 companies focused in Tohoku.

Powerful buyers such as high-end retail chains participated

On the business meeting trip spanning 10 days, opportunities for interactions with various Japanese companies in the household goods field were prepared. Buyers were dispatched from multiple fields in the U.S. in order to achieve many business meetings/contracts on one matter. First of all, there were two companies from fields that handle high-end furniture and high-end interior designing. Moss, a New York design-related retail store that opened a gallery/shop in 1994 in the crowded information center of SOHO and which has been hired by famous politicians such as President Obama and former President Clinton and Hollywood stars, participated. Luminaire, which deals with high-end furniture interiors at its five chain stores in cities including Chicago and Miami and includes the work of designers who represent Japan, such as Norihito Yoshioka and Toshiyuki Kita, was also invited. From the design-related product field, A+R, which has a shop in popular Venice, a beach city outside of Los Angeles that is overflowing with local people who love sports and shopping and tourists from around the world, and Neo-utility, which imports sophisticated goods and small objects from Japan and Europe to sell in the U.S., participated, as did CUBESHOPS, which imports and sells Japanese goods and top design products from a shop in the economic center of Toronto, Canada. Also, Bowery Kitchens and The Brooklyn Kitchen, both popular retail stores dealing in kitchen goods, including many Japanese products from knives to dishes, both stores having received a lot of media attention, including from the New York Times, participated along with Steve Sloan, a sales representative for U.S. national chains that sell kitchen goods such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and Bloomingdales and they each had business meetings with Japanese companies that handle a wide variety of products.

Experiencing traditional Japanese techniques in Fukushima

In Aizu-wakamatsu of Fukushima Prefecture, which was the first place visited, the business talks revolved around companies that handle craft-related products, such as lacquer ware. In addition to manufacturers from the prefecture, there were business talks with companies that manufacture dishes and furniture using traditional techniques at "Discover Cool Japan in Aizu" with exhibits from companies from Tohoku, Hokuriku, and Kinki. In addition, there were visits to companies that manufacture products that use traditional lacquering techniques with modern designs and that seek to expand overseas sales outlets and the buyers listened to explanations of the products while viewing the craft centers and showrooms.

During the Fukushima visit, a get-together was held by Shohei Muroi, the mayor of Aizu-wakamatsu and the buyers deepened their exchanges with the prefectural companies while relishing food and drink that make use of the plentiful Fukushima ingredients. Mayor Muroi gave a speech, stating "The solutions to earthquake and the nuclear problems are not easy, but we are working toward future restoration. When you return home, I would love for all of you to tell everyone you know what you experienced here and that Fukushima is safe." Steve Sloan, representing the buyers responded by saying "We appreciate the warm welcome we have received from everyone. We will cherish our memories of this time in Aizu-wakamatsu and will make people at home aware of the true situation in Japan. We also promise to introduce the wonderful Japanese products of Aizu-wakamatsu in our countries."

Consecutive business talks at Tokyo IFFT exhibit/Tohoku company support booth 'ARIGATO'

After visiting Fukushima, the buyers moved on to Tokyo and in addition to visiting Tokyo Designer's Week, they visited the Interior Lifestyle Living Exhibit (IFFT) held from November 2nd through 4th at the famous Big Sight and met with the companies with exhibits. A total of 314 companies had booths at this trade show, which gathers Japanese design-related and housewares-related companies. The information that buyers from around the world would be there was passed on from JETRO to the organizer to the companies with exhibits and employees who can speak English were placed in the booths of the companies with active overseas businesses, while at the same time, there were companies who managed the business talks without any interpreters.

At the exhibit, the booth 'ARIGATO' was set up by 27 Tohoku companies mainly from Iwata Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture and the buyers invited by JETRO held daily business meetings with the companies at this booth until the last day, engaging in earnest exchanges.

Daniel Basiletti from Moss had the following impression. "There were several companies involved in the meetings who wanted to work together on projects in addition to selling products in the future." Paul A. Griffiths from A+R provided a positive voice from many buyers while indicating that there are future issues, saying "There are many issues that need to be talked over, such as packaging, how to make communications smooth, and how payments should be made, but there are products that we want right away and we were able to order them right away."

After the participating buyers return home, they will have further business meetings through e-mail and by telephone using the catalogs and business cards they obtained in Japan. The majority of the Japanese companies that they met this time have no experience with overseas transactions, so communicating in English was difficult, but JETRO, who organized this operation plans to support parties on both sides and to take some time to make preparations to start those transactions a little bit at a time.

Actively inviting buyers in order to expand overseas sales outlets

JETRO invited five overseas buyers, including three New York retail stores, to Osaka from October 23rd through the 27th in order to expand overseas sales outlets for Japanese housewares-related companies and business meetings were held during that time. Thirty-nine Japanese companies participated and 200 business talks were held during the two days of meetings. Buyers have been invited to the city of Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture on December 7th for business meetings with local kitchen-related companies and many buyers have been invited to the Tokyo Gift Show next February in an effort to support Tohoku companies. Many opportunities to expand overseas sales outlets for Japanese companies continue to be set up.

Moss (English): www.mossonline.com
LUMINAIRE (English): www.luminaire.com
A+R (English): www.aplusrstore.com
neo-utility (English): www.neo-utility.com
Bowery Kitchens (English): www.bowerykitchens.com
The Brooklyn Kitchen (English): www.thebrooklynkitchen.com
Cube Shops (English/Japanese): www.cubeshops.com
Interior Lifestyle Living Exhibit: www.ifft-interiorlifestyleliving.com