This comment also came out today ..... not sure if it is related to the comments in the previous post or not!

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said in an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun that former DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa should be given an important post if he decides not to run in the DPJ presidential election

Apologies in advance to US readers of this blog !!

Former DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa said in a lecture that American people are so simple-minded........  He also said that Britons have the look of gentlemen but they fully understand the basics of democracy.

(I'm not sure if 'having the look of a gentleman' is a good thing or a bad thing!)

Anyhow - not my words - I'm just reporting ! SC

More Japanese companies are on the hunt for acquisitions in Asia, Europe and elsewhere as a strong yen gives them the financial clout to buy up businesses in expanding overseas markets

More Japanese companies are on the hunt for acquisitions in Asia, Europe and elsewhere as a strong yen gives them the financial clout to buy up businesses in expanding overseas markets, said Nomura Holding's head of mergers and acquisitions, Kentaro Okuda.

"There are a lot of deals in the pipeline," Okuda, a senior managing director at Nomura, told Reuters on Friday.

In Asia Pacific, the value of M&A by Japanese companies so far this year is $6 billion spread over 146 deals, he said. In the Americas, Japanese firms have so far spent $15.7 billion on 92 acquisitions, while Europe has taken in $5 billion for 63 purchases.

See more on this article at; http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67J1MP20100820

Umicore, a Belgium based materials technology group, to open materials plant in Kobe.

Umicore, a Belgium-based materials technology group, is now preparing to open a lithium ion battery materials plant and an adjacent technical center in Kobe in 2011, the group's fourth in the world. Umicore chose Kobe because of the city's proximity to the concentration of solar and lithium ion battery producers, as well as other innovative industries, that stretch along the Osaka bay area from Osaka to Hyogo.

David Austin's Tradition English Roses Come into Bloom in Osaka

David Austin Roses KK, the Japanese arm of the more than 65-year-old UK-based David Austin Roses Ltd., has made a full entry into Japanese market from its operational base in Izumi City, Osaka.
Mr. David Austin, the founder of the company, spent many years breeding English roses that combine the best properties of these two types of roses. Approximately 200 varieties of English roses are sold in over 45 countries, at present.

Currently David Austin Roses KK imports English roses and also sells them via mail order in Japan. In the future, the company is planning to build an English-style garden in Japan to give people the opportunity to experience the beauty of English roses firsthand.

To set up its Japan arm, David Austin Roses utilized JETRO's Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) in Osaka, receiving a wide range of support, including consultation on tax, introductions to administrative specialists, judicial specialists, and certified social insurance labor consultants with Osaka Prefectural Government.

Topshop and Forever 21 enter the Japanese cosmetics market

Toyota and Misawa Homes Group will jointly develop next generation energy self-sufficient house

Friday - wrap up and celebrate success

Friday came around so quickly, and we finished the week by gathering for a wrap up session and dinner in central Tokyo in the evening. Each delegate had an interesting story to share from the week, some had several, (in fact enough material to write a book in some cases!).

The really satisfying news was that every company reported good meetings, ranging from sample orders to NDA's to evaluations to next step meetings. This feedback made all the hard work so worthwhile. As always with Japan, approaching the market in the right way is a cruical point, but after the initial success the follow up steps become the next most important step. I'll be working with all the companies to help them with these next steps, but for now we can enjoy a nice cup of chilled sake to celebrate the end of a successful week.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - photo shoot and 'hit the road' for a series of meetings

The next three days involved a series of individual meetings for each company, based on their business requirements and market sectors. In total, almost 50 different meetings were arranged, at various locations all over Japan. So three days of hectic activity for our delegates ..... and a chance to see some different views of Japan.

Before everyone departed on their own schedules we took the chance for a PR photo shoot with an original 'London Bus' at the British Embassy. This vehicle was exported to Japan several years ago, and is in imaculate condition. It was a nice nostalgic moment before we headed out to our various meetings at Japanese companies.

Tuesday - networking pictures

The Embassy business briefing



The East Midlands Networking Seminar

Tuesday - Business matching and networking events at the Embassy

On Tuesday we held two networking and business events at the Embassy. The first was an East Midlands showcase, featuring the range of companies on the mission. The second one was a joint networking and celebration event with the British Embassy to celebrate the two year 'pre'anniversary to the 2012 Olympic games. Over 200 guests attended the two events, and it provided a great opportunity for making business connections. The Britsih Ambassador; David Warren hosted the second event at his residence and it provided a superb setting for us.

David Warren, Peter Hogarth (Head of UKTI East Midlands) and the President of the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) delivered speeches, and William Hague joined by video.

Monday - Trade briefing session and meetings with commercial officers

We were up early to meet in the hotel lobby before departing for the British Embassy. Everyone looked fresh and alert; ready for the morning briefing session by the commercial team at the Embassy. We also arranged '1 to 1' meetings with the respective commercial officers for each delegate, and this gave them a chance to discuss their particular business needs and the results of the reserach reports they commissioned.

Sunday update - Welcome dinner at traditional 'Izakaya' (Japanese restaurant)

The long awaited UKTI East Midlands market visit to Japan took place last week. 17 business people from 12 companies took part, some were first time visitors to Japan, others had been several times before. Business Link Japan were commissioned by the UK government to run the event, so after lot's of preperation work we were finally pleased to see everyone arrive safely on the Sunday evening. After checking into the hotel we had a welcome dinner at a local 'Izakaya' (Japanese style restaurant). Some people were tired and jet lagged, so retired early ..... but one or two others were clearly interested to make the most of their time in Japan!