Online Trade Fair Database (J-messe) Japan International Aerospace Exhibition 2016 (JA2016)

Currently held every four years, the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition 2016 (JA2016) is a major trade show for the aerospace and defense industries, held this year at Tokyo Big Sight from October 12 to 15. Featuring many global and local enterprises, as well as national and regional governments and ministries, the show is coming to be recognized as a vital venue and networking event, on par with other established international venues, with particular importance for the growing markets in the East Asia region.

Some people may have the mistaken impression that the aerospace and defense industries are part of a cozy world off-limits to outsiders, but the great number of small and niche players actively interacting with representatives of governments and global corporations at Japan Aerospace 2016 disproves this notion decisively.

Dr. Henry Hung, Program Manager of International Marketing at the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (Taiwan), explained his reasons for exhibiting. “We concentrated previously on Europe, but Japan is the largest market in Asia,” he said. “Lots of big companies like Mitsubishi are showing up in our booth.”

And Mr. Jim Latson, Director of Business Development at Analytical Graphics, Inc. (USA), was happy to get good exposure for his software systems, used to track satellites and space debris, to key decision makers and stakeholders in Japan. He enthused, “even a [Japanese] Liberal-Democratic Party legislator stopped by for an explanation of our systems!”

Many exhibitors were pleased with the large energetic crowds of visitors. Said Mr. Brian Napier, International Sales Manager at TW Metals, Inc. (USA), a specialty metal supplier, “we’ve got quite a stack of business cards. Our Vice President said that the first day was the best opening day of any show he’d ever been in!” Mr. Katsuhiro Nagasawa, President of Nagasawa Machinery Co., Ltd. (Japan), remarked that although this was his first time to exhibit, “we’re here to collect info, and we really succeeded. This tradeshow is huge.”

In fact, though the exhibition is held every four years, we heard quite a few calls to increase the frequency to every two years. As one exhibitor astutely remarked, “a lot can change in the market in four years.”

The last day of the show was a “Public Day,” when the doors were opened and the general public – with their children! – were allowed to mingle with the movers and shakers of the industry. And although the public came to ooh and aah, and snap pictures to their hearts’ content, Mr. David Scotter, Director of Events and Market Development of the ADS Group, Ltd. (United Kingdom) observed that this had not proved any hindrance to the main business of the affair. “Although the public is allowed in,” he said, “that hasn’t stopped business discussions from continuing uninterrupted, as on previous days. The business people are still attending.”