Spotlight Newsletter (2014-06)

Newsletter


INVESTMENT NEWS

JETRO Signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) With the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment

Boston, MA - On June 11th, 2014, JETRO signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI) to forge a partnership agreement to provide support between Japan and the State of Massachusetts. The signing of the MOU will be a first of its kind between JETRO and a U.S. State Government. Under the agreement, trade and investment from Japanese companies entering the State of Massachusetts and foreign direct investment to Japan by Massachusetts based companies will be supported by JETRO and MOITI.


Videos of JETRO's Symposium 2014 are now available!

The Japan-U.S. Business and Technology Symposium ended in success on February 10, 2014, with 200 attendees from various industries. 22 government and industry experts shared their professional insights, helping business leaders understand how the U.S. and Japanese enterprise could collaborate with each other and integrate their technologies in high-growth industries.


Here is a recap:

* Tsuneyuki Kato of JETRO kicked off the symposium by urging U.S. businesses to evaluate potential of the Japanese market. Then Hidehiro Yokoo, METI, highlighted that regulatory reform in healthcare, agriculture and electricity is a focus under the Japanese "Abenomics" measures.


* At the keynote speech, Stephen P. Hoover, Ph.D. of PARC, a Xerox company, demonstrated two core practices to be innovative; the importance of understanding users needs and technology to help understand your customers, and a focus on agility which is the key to learning and learning is the key to innovation. He then shares some insights from PARC's experiences of opening an office in Japan. He also talked about PARC's focus areas to invest for the future such as manufacturing where democratization and disintermediation is happening.


* IT Breakout: Mitsubishi Estate, Opower, Practice Fusion and Square joined a moderator Phillip G. Wickham of Sozo Ventures to share their experiences of how to get over the legacy installments of technology in Japan. The panelists also answered questions from the audience regarding differences of revenue models between the countries and misconception about foreign companies doing business in Japan.

* Energy Breakout: Christine Hertzog of Smart Grid Library led this panel discussion to share what kind of transformation is going on in the energy industries in Japan and the U.S. right now. Bloom Energy, Exoplexus and Innovation Core SEI (Sumitomo Electric) provided answers to various questions about Feed-in Tariff, energy storage, fuel cells, interconnection with utilities, innovative technologies and more.


* Healthcare Breakout: Thomas M. Loarie of Mercator MedSystems threw questions at medical professionals from Spiracur, Stanford, Synergy Ventures and Terumo Medical. The panelists demonstrated their lessons learned through doing business with Japan, how to look at growing opportunities in the medical industry such as aging populations, deregulation and shorter turnaround time of reminbursement, and the imporatance of assessing economic and clinical values.


* High Street Partners, Japan Intercultural Consulting, Pacific Reach Advisors and TransLink Capital gathered at the roundtable to demystify myth about doing business with Japan. A moderator Masa Ishii of AZCA particularly focused on four expertise (entry strategy, legal & tax operation, HR and cross-cultural communication). Listen to the discussion to find out the reality, what has changed, and what stays, and the key to success.



We thank all the speakers, supporting organizations and attendees for your interests and commitment to the growth of the Japan-U.S. business.


New JETRO Booklet: Establishing an Office in Japan

This concise guide helps you consider Japan as an attractive location for investment

  • Discover Japan's business advantages and key incentive programs
  • Find the experiences of our U.S. clients
  • Learn how JETRO can help you establish an office in Japan


>> Find the booklet here.PDF(PDF, 1.66MB)


If you are interested in investment in Japan, talk to JETRO USA first!


COOL JAPAN NEWS

Doraemon Debuting in the U.S. this Summer

 As part of the Cool Japan campaign to export the country's pop culture around the world, JETRO Los Angeles held a "Doraemon" launch party on June 20 in Torrance, California. This event encouraged businesses to pursue licensing opportunities to promote the character in the United States.

Doraemon, a Japanese anime character, has been loved by many viewers in Japan since the late 1960s. Though Doraemon has been aired in 35 other countries and regions including Asia and Europe, this will be the first time the animated series will be truly localized. The show will premier July 7 on Disney XD with a total of 26 episodes.

>> For any business inquiries, please contact JETRO Los Angeles.