Highlights: March 2006 Issue
SPECIAL REPORT: Fifteen Independent Private Companies to Watch in 2006
Sources of the next breakthrough technology? The next dominant industry players? Giants in the making? The next Japan IPOs? Japan has over 2.2 million tax-paying entities, of which over 1.1 million are registered as some form of corporation. And the vast majority of these are not listed like Toyota, Canon, Mitsubishi, Honda, Sharp, Sony, Matsushita and other giants. In our Special Report, we have selected, in consultation with a wide range of industry observers and Japan-focused corporate executives, fifteen unlisted independent private companies across a variety of sectors that seem, from our perspective, to be on their way to excellent results in 2006. Each of these companies, either because of its size, its innovations, its well-recognized brands, or its strong execution, has built or is building strong foundations for growth that could last for years at rates that could easily exceed those of many of the more well-known giants.
Yes, we've got a beverage marketer, a database information company, a marketer of athletic and sporting goods, a provider of powdered metals used in the automotive industry, a science and engineering publisher, a niche marketer of high-end eyeware, a food processing equipment maker with a promising robotics subsidiary, a Miyagi-based biotech research company, and an Ibaraki-based nanotech player. We've also listed a major pachinko firm moving into entertainment complexes, a small videogame publisher, a domestic firearms maker poised to gain from increased defense spending, an innovative pharmacy chain down in Fukuoka, a leading home center store chain, and an emerging global leader in navigation systems used in mobile phones and by emergency first responders. If you're interested in understanding something about some of the many other companies that represent innovation and leadership in their Japanese markets, you shouldn't miss this Special Report.
A Specialist Offers Advice: "Initiating a Direct Mail Campaign in Japan"
If the market you seek to play in is Japan, then there are alternatives to online marketing methods like pay-per-click, e-commerce sites, and banner ads. Yes, according to our specialist contributor this month, a veteran of direct mail marketing campaigns for a wide range of Japan-focused clients, more than a few companies attempting to conduct e-commerce in Japan are suffering from lack of traffic and lack of sales. This, despite all the attention such methods receive in the media. Companies interested in successfully marketing their products in Japan will be served well by the tips and advice our specialist contributor offers this month.The Next Five Years Present New Challenges: The Shinsei Bank Story
We had a chance to ask Thierry Porte, Shinsei Bank's president and CEO, questions about Shinsei Bank's goals and performance that conventional analysts rarely focus on. Five years after its transformation from the staid old Long-Term Credit Bank (LTCB), Shinsei's current performance seems stellar. But what about retail banking competition from imitators that's already emerging? What about the management risks of adding 2700 new staffers in the past year or so from the acquisitions of Showa Lease and APlus? What about the business risks in making unsecured loans to small companies, and allowing its NPL staff to take its eyes off of Japan in order to focus on ventures in Germany and Korea? And much more.
We ask the questions you've always wanted to ask. After all, that's what subscribers pay us for. Get some more intense insight into Shinsei and what its plans are for its next five years by reading our in-depth interview with Thierry Porte.
Japan Insight: Get the Scoop
Japan to be key focus for Nestle's 500 million euro investment fund focused on food, health and nutrition, says Wolfgang Reichenberger, the former head of Nestle Japan; Goldman Sachs is bullish on Japan, and establishes a new Japan consumption index to better analyze growth trends; Etc.
From the Editors
Scandal of the Day...
Plus much more...
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