The NCCJ held its annual 2012 Deshima Business Awards ceremony Oct. 11, attended by a full crowd at the TEPIA building in Gaiemmae. The ceremony this year was honored by the presence of H.E. Mr. Jan Kees de Jager, finance minister of the Netherlands, who presented the awards.

     The 2012 Deshima Business Awards Chairman Leon Halders gave the opening remarks, and spoke of the challenges and joys of doing business in Japan, and the successes that the Deshima awards have celebrated in the past. Mr. Halders was well qualified to talk on this subject, his company – DSM Japan KK – having won a Deshima award in 2006.

     After being introduced by H.E. Mr. Radinck Jan van Vollenhoven, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Japan, H.E. de Jager gave an entertaining talk on the history of Dutch business in Japan, and praised this year’s winners, “two firms that know they must engage in order to survive, who understand that change is the only constant.”

     Mr. de Jager noted that prior to his political career he was himself an entrepreneur, and so he knows “what it’s like to have a head full of ideas but feel restricted by rules and regulations.” He went on: “Every good entrepreneur is impatient, but knows that patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. But good things also come to those who make them happen, who take the initiative.”

     But by the same token, Mr. de Jager noted, “No business thrives in isolation; no matter how hard one works, every so often everyone needs a little help,” and the Deshima awards recognize this too.

     Mr. Shinji Fukukawa, a longtime friend of the NCCJ, Senior Advisor to TEPIA and former Vice Minister of International Trade and Industry (METI), presented the small/medium business segment prize to winner Dick Bruna Japan, the licensing agent in this country for Miffy and Friends, a popular group of animated characters and an extremely strong household brand in Japan. Mr. Fukukawa said the committee recognized the company’s long-term and creative marketing efforts in its decision to give the award to the company. Mr. Shogo Tetsuda, representative of Dick Bruna Japan, gave a rundown on the company, noting that Japan is the second market for Miffy and her friends, having come here in 1964, and now enjoys an almost 100% recognition rate in this country.

     Runner-ups in the segment were Hauzer Techno Coating B.V., Scelta Mushrooms BV, and Wheelylift.com BV.

      Taco de Vries, Vice President of Randstad KK, introduced the winner of the large company segment prize, CSM Japan KK, a leading player in its sector worldwide, and the largest supplier of baked products, natural foods products and bio-based chemicals serving a variety of industries. Since opening its first sales office in Japan in 1989, CSM has grown its business to gain a 50% market share in this crucial market.  Mr. Koji Nakamura gave a talk on his company’s large and growing activities in this country and its efforts to expand market share. He noted that CSM’s Purac division, which produces lactic acid and succinic acid for a variety of products such as bioplastics, uses processes based on nature such as fermentation, to make products which are environment- and human-friendly, biodegradable and CO2 neutral.

     Runners-up in the large company category were Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Japan Branch, and AEGON Sony Life Insurance Co., Ltd.

     After the awards were presented, NCCJ Chairman Hans van der Tang gave an inspiring speech for his closing remarks, and all attendees retired to the TEPIA’s second-floor restaurant for a reception.

The NCCJ held an excursion to Nissan’s auto plant at Oppama, outside of Yokohama, on Sept. 25. The trip was interesting and surprising, and provided some insights into how the carmaker has turned itself into one of the most successful and efficient companies in its field.

     At the plant’s main assembly line, the group was surprised to discover that the plant builds three different models on the same line – the Leaf electric vehicle, the Juke compact car and the Cube minivan. Each car that passed on the line was different – electric, gasoline, left-hand drive, right-hand drive, minivan, compact, various colors and options – and the plant can deliver them to customers within 4-5 days of receiving the order.

     This speed and efficiency is a huge competitive advantage for Nissan, and is due to the flexibility afforded by the cars’ modular design and the company’s douki seisan synchronized production system, as well as the highly trained and motivated work force. The guide said the relatively new system allows the automaker to quickly ramp up production, as well as introduce new models without the expense of building a new line. The company is planning to deploy the system at its plants worldwide.

     The group then transferred by bus to Nissan’s Grandrive proving ground for some hands-on experience of several of the company’s latest models – a Leaf EV, a hybrid version of the Cima luxury car, and a very zippy GT-R roadster, a car the automaker has positioned as competition for the Porsche 911. Participants were able to try out the cars on a variety of road surfaces, including expressway-type straightaways, S-turns, simulated rough surfaces and an exciting, steeply banked turn for the GT-R.

     There was also a demonstration of Nissan’s charging system for EVs, which boasts both a trickle charger for home use, and a new Quick Charge system for quickly topping up the battery while on the road – 0-80% charged in under 30 minutes, an innovation that the company is confident will eliminate “range anxiety,” the main barrier to full adoption of EVs.

Learn More About How You Can Improve Your Business Skills in Japan

JMEC information sessions give potential participants the opportunity to find out more about the JMEC program, to ask questions and to speak with program alumni. There is no fee to attend, but registration is required.

Click here for more information and registration.

On September 25th and 26th, 3 Dutch companies will participate in the EU gateway Construction and Building Technologies Exhibition to be held at Westin Tokyo. This will be a very good opportunity to find out more about Dutch latest technologies in this field. Please do not miss this valuable opportunity.

Click here for more information.

From European Business Council in Japan (EBC)

Dear EBC Committee Members and Friends of the EBC,

This year, we plan to resume production of the EBC White Paper, our hallmark annual report on the business and investment environment, in English and Japanese for release in mid November. This will be the 12th in the series. With a good chance that negotiations for an EU-Japan FTA will start in the near future, the White Paper will serve as an additional reference to our 2011 digital compendium of FTA recommendations, which we will continue to augment, update and submit to the European Commission. 

However, as usual, we cannot produce the White Paper without kind financial contributions from our members and supporters to help cover the costs of production, translation, and distribution. Moreover, sponsorship from members and supporters makes a huge contribution to establishing the credibility of the report.
So once again, we are asking EBC members and supporters to contribute as Blue-Star Sponsors, Special Sponsors or Sponsors in return for visible acknowledgment in the 2 volumes and we will also place all sponsor logos in colour on a dedicated page in our website for 12 months from publication.
Similar to last year, the EBC will also take advance orders for the white papers at 5,000 yen for one set (1 English and 1 Japanese version per set) to assist with cost-recovery. Companies placing advance orders will be listed in the white paper as Supporters.
The sponsorship and purchase price structure is as follows:
________________________________________
WHITE PAPER SPONSORSHIP (including complimentary set and postage)
Blue-Star Sponsorship: 150,000 yen (or more if you wish) Company logo on a 2-name page in WP
Special Sponsorship: 100,000 yen Company name on a 10-name page in WP
Sponsorship: 50,000 yen Company name on a 20-name page in WP
________________________________________
PURCHASE PRICE OF WHITE PAPERS (including postage)
5,000 yen per set: 1 English copy & 1 Japanese copy Company name on 50-name page in WP
 
Sponsorship and order reply forms are attached to this message. If you would like to support the white paper as a sponsor and/or place an advance order for copies please print out the forms and return them to the EBC secretariat by fax (03-3263-6223) or by e-mail (ebc@gol.com)

We look forward to your highly valued support of the white paper.

Best Regards
Alison Murray
Executive Director/EBC

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