When I was in the UK last month I spoke to dozens of British companies, trying to enthuse them about the idea of exporting to Japan. Anyone who I managed to convince is probably now having second thoughts. Surely any country that's gone through the triple whammy of an earthquake, a tsunami and a serious nuclear incident is going to be completely preoccupied with rebuilding and rehabilitation, and therefore inwardly rather than extermally focused?
Well, yes, but never underestimate Japanese resilience and determination. On the morning of 12 March, just hours after that terrifying earthquake, when trains in Tokyo were still not operating and millions had walked for hours to get home, our newspapers were on the doorstep by 6 am and our bins emptied bang on time at 8.30 am. It takes a lot to keep Japanese companies and individuals from fulfilling their duties - no whinging or blame culture here.
Manufacturers have also moved quickly to adapt to the new situation: a number have moved production to their bases in western Japan, food companies have stepped up production of vacuum-packed rice and curry for use as emergency rations, and Panasonic have increased deliveries of batteries to the stricken area, still without electricity.
Many companies have had production facilities knocked out, supply chains are disrupted, ports are closed and distribution networks cut off, while power cuts create a real headache for companies, with complex checks and inspections required after each cut before production can resume. And of course the recovery effort in the Tohoku region - rehousing all those who have lost everything, rebuilding the infrastructure - is going to take years, maybe decades.
But the general mood is one of determination not to be beaten, a readiness to get stuck in and do what it takes to get Japan back on its feet. They've been here before - after the great earthquakes of 1923 in Tokyo and 1995 in Kobe, after the devastation of the nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima - and each time they've emerged stronger and better than before.
So my message would be: don't write off Japan. There will be a huge demand for raw materials, construction materials and services and emergency housing in the short term, and meanwhile life goes on in all the major cities outside the stricken area, so still plenty of demand for consumer goods and services. Experiences with the unreliability of power supplies are sure to accelerate demand for low carbon technologies. And with some component production facilities down manufacturers are going to have to source alternatives. So the opportunities are very much still here.
The Japanese value loyalty and long-term friendships above all. If you already have contacts in Japan do let them know that you're thinking of them - that will mean a lot right now, and will signal your commitment to continuing the relationship. And if you're embarking on new ventures, they will thank you for understanding their own desire to make sure that life and business continue, and welcome your vote of confidence - so long as it's with a view to a long-term involvement, not a bit of opportunism.
The UKTI team in Japan stands ready to help, but give us a couple of weeks! We are still very much involved in dealing with the aftermath of the crisis: some of our staff have been up in the North-East of the country touring evacuation centres and hospitals in a search for British survivors. Others have been posted out at the airports, helping British nationals who want or need to leave the country but perhaps left in a rush without their passports. And the rest of us have all been working shifts in the Embassy's 24-hour Emergency Response Centre and at the Consulate-General in Osaka.
Our Japanese staff, in particular, have been superb: the research and negotiation skills that they usually use to find partners and customers for UK companies have been turned instead to finding out how to charter buses to rescue stranded British nationals, what the procedures are for importing iodine tablets, how the authorities are measuring food and water contamination and much more besides.
Their dedication and commitment in the face of personal troubles and traumas is humbling and inspirational - and once things have stabilised it will all be refocused to help British companies again. We look forward to helping you to help Japan on its long but surely successful road to recovery.
Sue Kinoshita
9 comments
Comment by Akiko Morita posted on
Great post - thank you for a positive view on our country. I'm a Japanese professional working in London, and on this catastrophic event I have been touched by the way the British people respect Japanese culture. To all - I am grateful for your warm sympathy and hard work to help people affected.
My friend in Ibaraki sent me an email saying that when she went out to buy some food on that evening of the disaster she was given chopsticks on which there was a character printed on it - designed by us (we are a London based design company) - she said this character brought her a smile and made her children happy even at such difficult times. She not only thanked me for it but encouraged me to keep doing more good work for this Japanese retailer that we work for - it is nice that there is always something we can do to help each other!
Comment by Akiko Morita posted on
Great post - thank you for a positive view on our country. I'm a Japanese professional working in London, and on this catastrophic event I have been touched by the way the British people respect Japanese culture. To all - I am grateful for your warm sympathy and hard work to help people affected.
My friend in Ibaraki sent me an email saying that when she went out to buy some food on that evening of the disaster she was given chopsticks on which there was a character printed on it - designed by us (we are a London based design company) - she said this character brought her a smile and made her children happy even at such difficult times. She not only thanked me for it but encouraged me to keep doing more good work for this Japanese retailer that we work for - it is nice that there is always something we can do to help each other!
Comment by Akiko Morita posted on
Great post - thank you for a positive view on our country. I'm a Japanese professional working in London, and on this catastrophic event I have been touched by the way the British people respect Japanese culture. To all - I am grateful for your warm sympathy and hard work to help people affected.
My friend in Ibaraki sent me an email saying that when she went out to buy some food on that evening of the disaster she was given chopsticks on which there was a character printed on it - designed by us (we are a London based design company) - she said this character brought her a smile and made her children happy even at such difficult times. She not only thanked me for it but encouraged me to keep doing more good work for this Japanese retailer that we work for - it is nice that there is always something we can do to help each other!
Comment by Shin Furukawa posted on
If you think of the recovery process after the devastation, you would realize that there will be significant movement of goods and services creating opportunities for suppliers of various goods and services. It is quite plausible to think that the institutions and individuals will be adding improvements to what had there been before, as they rebuild, and this should give whoever wishes to "sell" to Japan, an edge, if they can propose a "newer and better" way to do things. In a perverse way, the disaster may result in a "window" to enter the market for a long-term play.
Comment by Shin Furukawa posted on
If you think of the recovery process after the devastation, you would realize that there will be significant movement of goods and services creating opportunities for suppliers of various goods and services. It is quite plausible to think that the institutions and individuals will be adding improvements to what had there been before, as they rebuild, and this should give whoever wishes to "sell" to Japan, an edge, if they can propose a "newer and better" way to do things. In a perverse way, the disaster may result in a "window" to enter the market for a long-term play.
Comment by Shin Furukawa posted on
If you think of the recovery process after the devastation, you would realize that there will be significant movement of goods and services creating opportunities for suppliers of various goods and services. It is quite plausible to think that the institutions and individuals will be adding improvements to what had there been before, as they rebuild, and this should give whoever wishes to "sell" to Japan, an edge, if they can propose a "newer and better" way to do things. In a perverse way, the disaster may result in a "window" to enter the market for a long-term play.
Comment by Jonathan Rutt posted on
I represent one of the UK based companies that met with you and your colleagues recently concerning business opportunities within Japan and we have definitely not been deterred.
The resilience and resolve of the Japanese people is something truly to admire and aspire to. Whilst most UK businesses have been pre-occupied with the 'doom and gloom' associated with the current financial challenges faced by all, the terrible events in Japan truly add perspective and focus on just how tenacious the human spirit can be under the most difficult of circumstances - a lesson to us all.
Comment by Jonathan Rutt posted on
I represent one of the UK based companies that met with you and your colleagues recently concerning business opportunities within Japan and we have definitely not been deterred.
The resilience and resolve of the Japanese people is something truly to admire and aspire to. Whilst most UK businesses have been pre-occupied with the 'doom and gloom' associated with the current financial challenges faced by all, the terrible events in Japan truly add perspective and focus on just how tenacious the human spirit can be under the most difficult of circumstances - a lesson to us all.
Comment by Jonathan Rutt posted on
I represent one of the UK based companies that met with you and your colleagues recently concerning business opportunities within Japan and we have definitely not been deterred.
The resilience and resolve of the Japanese people is something truly to admire and aspire to. Whilst most UK businesses have been pre-occupied with the 'doom and gloom' associated with the current financial challenges faced by all, the terrible events in Japan truly add perspective and focus on just how tenacious the human spirit can be under the most difficult of circumstances - a lesson to us all.