The Secret to Internationalization of Regional Industries: Lecture at the Small and Medium Business Diagnostician Association Seminar

A “small business diagnostician” who is a specialist in diagnosing and advising small business management. International market development has become one of the important options for many small to medium traditional craft businesses supported by small business diagnosticians. In response to such an environment, the Small and Medium Business Diagnostician Association requested a lecture on the methods and secrets to our corporation, which has abundant cases of overseas expansion support, and our representative Ikushima Gishima (Ikushima Yoshitaka) spoke.

The “Japan boom” is not a boom

The Japanese market faces the risk of shrinking market size due to population decline. Meanwhile, overseas, the market size is expanding due to population growth and improved living standards in emerging countries. Furthermore, as tourists visiting Japan are rapidly recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, developing overseas markets and incorporating inbound traffic have become something that cannot be overlooked as one of the powerful means of business expansion.

As another reason I want to consider expanding overseas, Ikushima told me that “the Japanese boom is not a transient thing; it has already become a lifestyle.” The high level of interest in Japanese culture in countries around the world, which we have seen while disseminating Japanese culture and art overseas for many years, and how it has spread, confirms that it is not just a boom.

‍From “sushi,” “tempura,” “manga,” “ramen,” and...

Nowadays, more diverse Japanese culture and products than Japanese people can imagine are attracting interest in various countries. Certainly, there are many people who have become interested in Japan in the wake of manga and anime, but the world of works incorporating various daily lives, cultures, and regional introductions has actually attracted interest in many fields. At the lecture, we introduced specific examples of support for overseas exhibitions by local governments, traditional crafts and food-related companies, etc., as well as examples of subsequent sales increases and inbound waves.

Overseas expansion challenges and secrets to success

Expanding overseas involves problems that are different from expanding domestic sales channels.
When exhibiting at overseas exhibitions, in order to maximize effectiveness, it is necessary to grasp the current situation locally and compare the advantages and disadvantages of whether to start with BtoC or BtoB. Furthermore, complicated regulations and procedures relating to international transportation and arrangements for reliable local interpreter staff are also required. Furthermore, the reality is that it is not easy to say “exhibit” in one word, such as arranging booth settings for overseas businesses, attracting customers locally, securing payment methods to tax procedures, etc.

At the lecture, based on my experience so far, I told you what pitfalls are there and the merits of using support services to simplify various procedures.

Deployment methods other than exhibitions

Exhibiting at exhibitions is not the only effective means for overseas expansion. In addition to exhibitions, which are likely to be known to many people, there are various methods regardless of whether they are online or offline, such as test marketing at physical stores in cities aiming for expansion and building EC sites where purchases can be made from overseas. Ikushima explained the characteristics and merits of each method that our corporation can support.

Our corporation supports the activities of everyone responsible for Japanese culture, including traditional craft businesses, by utilizing our abundant overseas expansion cases.
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