A message from UKTI Japan
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 …
Export Markets
Only the best pt 2 - Japan Loves Liberty
I’ve just come back from Liberty’s seminar on the Spring Summer 2012 fabric collection, held in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza district for Liberty Japan’s main fabric customers. Antiques, archives and costume were the main themes for the collection - sounds a …
South Korea: Conglomerates continue their evolution
One of the most striking features of the South Korean economy is the hugely important role played by its large conglomerates, or ‘chaebol’ in Korean. The chaebol are led in size by Samsung – which has annual revenues larger than …
Smart, Social, Slow, Sell
I came across a short online report recently by SERI (the Samsung Economic Research Institute, one of South Korea's most respected research centres). There are a few interesting predictions on economic growth here - and some pointers for British exporters …
Getting Arty at the Tokyo International Gift Show
Demonstrating children’s colouring products at a gift show in Japan brought back memories of my childhood. This may sound a strange activity for us to engage in, but this is just one very practical way we can support UK companies …
A Textbook Case
A Japanese businessman came to call on me the other day to talk about the UK economy. In telling me about his company's experiences it struck me that his story was the story in microcosm of most of Japanese industry. …
Crackers, but it works
Japan's seen record snowfalls this year, right along its Japan Sea coast and northern prefectures, enough to bury entire houses. And yet the traffic keeps flowing. How come? Well, a mixture of preparation, and ingenuity. One Japanese company making rice …
Why the UK benefits as East Asia's giants battle
Sometimes the metaphors just write themselves. Anyone who saw Japan and Korea battling it out in the semi-final of the Asia Cup will have recognised the real-life rivalry that exists between these two neighbours. 1-1 at full-time, 2-2 at extra …
Renewables, shipbuilding & high-tech : South Korea gets smart
What’s been happening in South Korea recently, and what does this mean for UK companies? Since the 1970s, South Korea has been involved in overseas heavy construction contracts, mainly in the Middle East. That tradition continues, but now in the …
Japan at the Crossroads
Is Japan on the verge of a major change on a par with the Meiji Revolution, or is it heading for a third "lost decade"? That was the question underlying the visit to Japan this month of Simon Fraser, the …