JMA EXHIBITION

Why Be an Exhibitor?

Why Japan?

Why a JMA Exhibition?

While Europe and the USA continue to attract key exhibitors and visitors, considerable interest and participation, especially in professional trade shows, is rapidly shifting to Asia, and specifically to Japan.

*Click on the above boxes for detailed explanations.

Japan is the business hub of Asia's growing economies

The latest technological, product, and cultural trends exposed in Japan act as early indicators for the rest of Asia and the world. As negotiations to strengthen economic and trade relations within the ASEAN region move ahead, trade shows in Japan are increasingly regarded as crucial business platforms with a significant reach not only in Japan but throughout Asia.

Japan is proficient in manufacturing and services. The country also has strong trading ties with East Asia, China and the ASEAN nations,which makes Japan a major trade hub in the Asian region.

Narita airport near Tokyo is a major transportation hub for travel to major cities in Asia. The frequent number of direct flights from Tokyo to other Asian cities allows for easier trade and business communication.

Number of direct flights between Narita and major cities in Asia and shortest required flight time (roundtrips per week, as of September 2004, shortest required flight time in hours denoted by "h")

Diagram source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest

Japan is the world's second largest market
of the developed nations

Despite the fact that China surpassed Japan in GDP during 2004, Japan is still the the second-largest market of developed nations given purchasing power of its citizens.

GDP by Country 2004 (in billions of USD)

Data source: 2004 CIA World Factbook

Despite its size, Japan has one of the top GDP per capita among the G7 nations.

GDP Per Capita Among G7 Nations in 2004

Data source: 2004 CIA World Factbook

The Japanese are major consumers of foreign goods

Japanese consumers' strong interest in foreign goods make Japan an attractive market for foreign consumer goods.
Foreign brands do particularly well in Japan as Japanese consumers are willing to pay the extra price in order to increase their status levels and popularity within their community.

Japan is a hub of innovative technologies

The Japanese government and the management of Japanese companies recognize the importance of spending money on research and development in order for Japan to compete successfully in the global market.
Therefore, R&D spending, the number of researchers and the number of registered patents in Japan are all high compared to the other developed nations.

Spending on R&D in major countries as a percentage of GDP (graph),
and total expenditure on R&D (in brackets, 2000 figures)

Graph source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source :Annual Report on the Promotion of Science and Technology 2003 (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

Top ranked countries in terms of numbers of patent registrations
(by nationality of patent holder, in 1,000s of patents)

Graph source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source : Japan Patent Office Annual Report

Japan is also very advanced in the area of intellectual property rights which protects both its companies and foreign companies in Japan from experiencing serious damages from counterfeit products.
In April 2005, a high court focusing exclusively on intellectual property disputes is expected to be established in Tokyo.
Such protection of intellectual property rights allows companies in Japan to avoid spending time and money fighting counterfeits.

Japan has an efficient infrastructure
for dynamic business activities

Japan's cutting edge information and communications technology infrastructure and its extremely efficient logistics infrastructure make the country an efficient place to do business.

Broadband penetration rates (in 1,000s of subscribers)

Graph source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source : Information and Communications in Japan White Paper (Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications)

Ranking of infrastructure competitiveness

Area	RANK1	RANK2	RANK3
Railroad infrastructure development	Japan	Switzerland	France
Total air transport passengers	United States	Japan	United Kingdom
Total air transport freight	United States	Japan	Korea

Table source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source :Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003(Oxford, 2003)

The Japanese government is in support of increasing FDI

Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi pledged to double FDI within 5 years of his-election. Japan is now preparing to accept more capital, human resources, and technologies from foreign countries. This is a new and decisive step to opening up Japan to foreign capital and markets and is, undoubtedly, an exciting time for foreign companies starting to play a more active role in the Japanese market.

Business costs in Japan are decreasing

Land prices and office rents in Japan have decreased significantly in the last 10 years.

Real estate prices (March. 1994 = 100)

Graph source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source : Japan Real Estate Institute

Office rents (1993 = 100)

Graph source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source : White Paper on Real Estate (K.K. Ikoma Data Service System)

Telecommunications costs (both domestic and international) continue to decrease each year.
Logistics costs, interest rates and labor costs have also continued to decrease in recent years.

Japan has a high-skilled labor force

Given Japan's high rate of university attendance and the recent changes in the country's business culture, the hiring of talented and experienced employees is becoming even easier in Japan. Unlike past generations, the younger generations of Japanese employees are willing to change jobs if it will enable them to strengthen their job skills and receive a higher pay either immediately or in the future.

Population changing jobs (in millions of people)

Graph source: JETRO Website, "Investing in Japan - Why Japan?" section, www.jetro.go.japan/en/invest
Data Source : Labour Force Survey (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)

(Note: The graphs and information used below are based on the "Investing in Japan" section of the JETRO website: http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest)